The Misadventures of Knockout
by journal129
Summary: Shockwave's latest experiment: to test the dominance of DNA and CNA. His test subject? None other than the traitorous Knockout, who joined the Autobot side when the Decepticons were about to lose. Now a human, Knockout has to adjust to human life, and deal with his guardian: June Darby. The one female human who he was positively sure hated his entire existence. Rating may rise.
1. Experimentation

Knockout struggled against the energy restraints, but to no avail. "You psychopath!" He shouted. "What are you doing to me?!"

"Merely an experiment." A monotonous tone replied. The lack of emotion his voice gave was unnerving, to say the very least. But the hidden meaning behind the words scared the red sportscar more than anything.

The Aston Martin watched his captor with narrowed red optics, attempting to discern just what this experiment entailed. His captor being the infamous Shockwave, however...it could be anything. But no matter what it was, it most certainly wouldn't bode well for him.

"And just what _is_ this experiment?!" Knockout demanded. "Tell me!"

Shockwave ran a liquid through a scanner. "I'm researching just how closely Cybertronians resemble other life forms. You're aware that we are all directly descended from Primus? Granted, that was before any of our times, but he had the original CNA composition?"

Knockout cocked an optic ridge. "Where are you going with this…?"

"Primus' counterpart and opposite was Unicron the destroyer." Shockwave continued. "And from him was descended the life forms on that planet that was the object of our war the past three years- Earth. So, as Unicron and Primus were related, so too should our species be similar to the life forms referred to as humans. By how much…?" He picked up the liquid. "We shall soon see."

The former Decepticon's optics widened. "W-What are you doing?! What is that?!"

"A sample of DNA, the organic counterpart to our genetic material. I will fuse it to yours, and record the results that follow.*

"Fuse it to my CNA?!" Knockout exclaimed. "And what can you hope to accomplish through that?!"

"It's simple." Shockwave explained. "If the two genetic substances are compatible, one will consume and assimilate the other. In that instance, it is a matter of which genetic material is dominant. CNA? Or DNA?"

The Autobot tensed. "And...if they're incompatible?"

"It will override and corrupt your systems. You will be terminated."

Knockout struggled with renewed panic. "You can't do this to me! You can't!"

"But I can, Knockout." The violet scientist prepared a syringe of the DNA concoction. "I wonder...what would you look like as a human?" He injected the medic with the syringe.

Knockout cried out in pain as a burning sensation swept through him. "You...are a fool, Shockwave…!" He said through clenched denta. "If...this stuff...turns me human...I'll perish! Cybertron's atmosphere...is toxic! There goes your experiment…! No data! No triumph!"

"You are the fool, Knockout, if you think that I hadn't already considered that possibility. I took precautions in the case of such an event." And with that, Shockwave pressed a button beside the medic's restraints.

A round casing enveloped Knockout, confining him to the glass cage while he writhed in agony. Not feeling the slightest bit of remorse, Shockwave went about working on his experiment- he quickly purged the tank of the Cybertronian atmosphere, filling it with a gaseous solution of 78% nitrogen and 22% oxygen, standard breathing conditions for humans. The temperature inside was altered to be 74 degrees on the human measuring scale known as Fahrenheit.

Cleanser dripped freely from Knockout's optics as they shut tight, his mouth open in what Shockwave could only calculate as a scream of suffering. The soundproof casing prevented any sound from escaping. Yet another logical precaution.

It didn't matter whether Knockout felt pain or not to Shockwave. It would be over momentarily. The DNA inside of the new Autobot would seep into his systems, and either be absorbed or corrupt. Either way, it should stop-

-now.

Knockout fell limp, systems going into emergency stasis, and began to...change. To any Cybertronian, the sight would have made them purge their fuel tanks then and there. Metal collapsed in on itself, caving in and fusing multiple times, mutating the original form of Knockout. Once it had shrank a considerable amount, it...compressed. Flesh emerged from beneath the metal, coating it, until everything was completely organic. Crimson red hairs emerged from the pale life form. As all this happened, Shockwave watched and recorded in fascination. "So...it would appear that DNA is dominant...I would expect no less from Unicron's spawn."

No sooner had he made that observation than an alarm went off. "Autobots…" Shockwave muttered. "No doubt looking for their newest ally." He quickly downloaded the database of information to a Cybertronian Data Chip, and transformed, the CDC safe in his cockpit. Leave the human for the Autobots to find. It was their sort, anyhow.

Shockwave smirked inwardly. Knockout had betrayed the Decepticons and joined the human-loving Autobots. How appropriate that he should become one of the very organics he'd sworn to protect.


	2. Wakeup Call

"Hey...he's waking up!"

"Vitals are stable...Miko! Get him a glass of water!"

"Got it, Ratchet!"

Knockout groaned as his consciousness returned to him. He ached all over...it seemed like every last inch of the arm Shockwave had shot with the strange substance stung. And he was slightly numb...dull pain throbbed through his entire form. "Ugh…" He muttered, eyes opening.

Above him was a familiar face. Ratchet. So, the Autobots had found and rescued him! Ratchet spoke softly. "Easy there...don't overexert yourself. You have a lot of recovery to catch up on."

Didn't he know it...all he wanted to do was climb into his comfy berth back on the Nemesis and settle into stasis for about two earth weeks. That would repair the damage soon enough.

Just then, a human girl with pink and brown pigtails ran in. Bulkhead's pet human, if Knockout remembered correctly. But...he was on Cybertron, wasn't he? The Cybertronian atmosphere had toxins in its composition, more than a human could survive for seconds. Miko ran up to Knockout. "Here ya go, mister." She said, setting a glass of water beside the...medical berth? Just what had happened to him?

And why did the human look...his size?

Could it...no…

 _"If the two genetic substances are compatible, one will consume and assimilate the other. In that instance, it is a matter of which genetic material is dominant. CNA? Or DNA?"_

He sat up with a start, staring down at human hands. "Shockwave...what have you done to me…?" He whispered, nearly speechless in shock and horror.

Off to the side, he could hear familiar voices talking. "Miss Darby, are you sure? This could be any random human. A murderer, a theif, some politician…"

"I'm positive, Ultra Magnus. I've dealt with giant robots. It's nothing I can't handle."

"If you're sure…"

"Hey, it's either me or Fowler, and Fowler would take him in for questioning. I got this."

Knockout looked over. Ultra Magnus, still in his wheelchair from that damage he took from Darksteel, was talking to a human female.

 ** _The_** human female.

Specifically, June Darby, the female Knockout had kidnapped when that Predacon talon needed to be found.

Scrap. Why was _she_ here?!

Another conversation caught his attention. Bumblebee was talking to Smokescreen.

"Still no sign of Knockout…"

"Think he went rogue?"

"No, he's definitely an Autobot! I thought Shockwave caught him…"

"So did I, but he wasn't there when we got to the lab. And Shockwave fled too fast to have a Cybertronian in tow. Maybe he's in hiding…?"

Knockout huffed, crossing his arms, and spoke loudly. "I'm right here, you know!"

Immediately, all optics and eyes were turned in his direction. His red eyes narrowed at the scout and rookie. "Honestly, I'm not one to desert on a whim! Shockwave most certainly _did_ capture me, and…" He shuddered, remembering the ordeal.

Ratchet stared at him, jaw components slack. "...K-Knockout…?!"

"In the flesh...literally…" Knockout muttered. "Now, will you _kindly_ tell me what the human females are doing on Cybertron? Without airlocks, no less?"

Miko was the first to recover. She grinned. "Welcome to Earth, Doc Knocks!"

Knockout glared. "...don't call me that." Moments later, the gravity of the young girl's words set in. "WAIT, WHAT?!" He exclaimed. "WHY AM I ON EARTH?!"

"Because, Knockout…" Ratchet said, getting over his shock. "You can't survive Cybertron's atmosphere. That aside, knowing you, you would most certainly not be content trapped in a canister for the rest of your existance, whether we knew your identity or not."

Knockout frowned. He wouldn't argue _that_ point.

Ultra Magnus looked at him, then at June. "Miss Darby, now that we have his identity, are you still willing to take him in? You two have a...history."

"Take me in?! What?!"

"Of course." June said, arms crossed. "I'd _love_ to."

Knockout realized exactly what they were talking about, and gulped. The last thing he needed was another dose of June's pepper spray… "W-wait, don't I get a say in who I'm staying with?!" The ex-'con stammered.

Bumblebee gave a small smirk. "Of course. Do you want to go with June? Or Agent Fowler?

Knockout groaned. The kidnapping excursion had involved them both...though, he'd rather not be grilled by the government agent. "...fine. I'll go with June."

"That's Mrs. Darby to you, _Knockout_." June corrected, venom in her voice. "Now, come on. Get up." She walked over to him, grabbed his arm in her surprisingly strong grip, and yanked him to his feet.

Knockout yelped in surprise and pain, before falling facefirst onto the cement floor. He gingerly got to his feet, red eyes glaring at the human woman. "That _hurt_ , Mrs. Darby!" He said. "I'm sore all over! Can't you give me a break?!"

"Well, maybe if you had gotten up when I told you, that wouldn't have happened!" June replied crossly.

Ratchet sighed. "June, as a nurse, you of all people should know he needs recovery time. He's gone through a _major_ change in life, and needs to adjust."

The nurse sighed. "Fine...let's go, Knockout." She turned on heel and started walking toward the exit.

Knockout took a shaky step forward. "W-Whoa…!" He said, nearly falling again.

June turned around. "You coming?"

The medic frowned. "I would love to, but these human bodies are proportioned all wrong! I can't balance!"

She raised an eyebrow.

Smokescreen spoke up. "Hey, Miss Darby, remember when he was Cybertronian? Most of his armor was around his shoulders and legs. So, he would be used to having most of his weight there. His upper body probably feels too light."

Knockout crossed his arms. "Again! I am _right here!_ "

"Am I right, though?" The rookie asked.

Knockout grit his teeth. Of course the rookie was right...and it frustrated him to no end. He was stuck in this disproportionate, tiny, _organic_ body. Oh, what he wouldn't give to get back to his Cybertronain form.

Determined to prove himself still superior to the humans, he boldly stepped forward again. This time, he managed to retain his footing. "See? I'm perfectly capable of walking!"

June crossed her arms. "Well then, hot shot. Try to keep up." She turned and resumed walking out of Hangar E.

Knockout scrambled after her. "H-hey! Wait for me, will you?!"


	3. Welcome Home

Knockout, after a few long minutes of attempting to walk as a human, _finally_ got to June Darby's car. He arched an eyebrow. " _This_ is your car?" He asked, disappointment clear in his voice.

The nurse sighed. "Yes, it is. Now get in." She said, getting into the driver's seat.

"Why couldn't you have gotten a more fashionable one?" Knockout asked as he got in.

June started the car. "Because, unlike _some_ people, I can't just scan whatever car I want and get it for free. I have to _earn_ it."

Ratchet stepped outside. "June!" He called.

June rolled down the window. "Yes?"

"Would you like me to groundbridge you? It's a long way to Jasper."

"Yes, please." The nurse replied. "Thank you, Ratchet."

Ratchet smiled. "Anytime." He walked back inside to activate the groundbridge.

Knockout frowned. "Where exactly _are_ we, June-"

"Mrs. Darby!"

"-Mrs. Darby?"

June took a deep breath to calm herself. "We're on the other side of Nevada. Just hang tight, and we'll be home in a minute."

 _Home..._ Knockout looked out the window, depressed. _A human shack will never be **my** home…_

The groundbridge opened up before them, and June drove into the swirling green vortex. Knockout expected the standard runthrough fizz he usually got when bridging. When he entered, however, he was hit with a nearly overwhelming wave of nausea. He clamped a hand over his mouth, closing his eyes and leaning back against the seat.

"You alright?"

"No…" He mumbled through his hand. "I think I might purge my fuel tanks…"

Evidently, she understood what that meant, so she flipped a switch, turning on the cold air in the car. That helped a bit, but Knockout wasn't taking any chances. He stayed in that position, laying back with his hand covering his mouth, until the car finally stopped. As soon as it did, he bolted out of the vehicle, running over to the side of the road and emptying his stomach of its contents. When he'd finished, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Humans and their weak constitutions…"

June stepped out of the car. She chuckled. "I felt the same way my first time through the groundbridge. You get used to it. Come on, I'll get you a glass of water, then something to eat."

Knockout grudgingly followed her into the human establishment. To think that mere groundbridge travel could make him ill like this…? He hated this new, delicate form he'd taken.

That hate intensified when he remembered to who had made him this way. His former superior officer.

Shockwave.

His fists balled in rage as he thought back to how he had been used as a common lab Scraplet. It made his blood boil. Him? Knockout? A mere _test subject?!_ It was _him_ who had gotten the synthetic energon from Ratchet! _Him_ who had restored Megatron to his former glory! _Him_ who risked life, limb, and pride for the sake of Shockwave's precious Predacon bones! How _dare_ the one-opticed scientist choose him as a walking mutation!

"Knockout?"

His red eyes focused on his guardian. "What is it?" He asked, restraining his anger from his voice.

June gave a pointed look at his clenched hands. "Everything alright?"

 _No! Everything is most certainly **not** alright! I'm trapped in this infernal body because some Tarn scientist used me as his experimental drone! And I'm stuck with the likes of you, lightyears from home! _He took a deep breath. "Everything's fine, Mrs. Darby."

"Good." She handed him a glass of water. "Drink this."

Knockout eyed the glass suspiciously. "Why?"

"It'll settle your stomach."

He wished he could scan it for cleanliness and purity, but with his optics now organic and primitive, all he was provided with was a visual. But this was June Darby...an Autobot ally. She'd agreed to house him. She wouldn't betray the Autobots she _did_ like...right? Knockout took a tentative sip, and cringed. "What's _in_ this drink?!"

"Antacid. Good for if you're feeling sick." June went over to the kitchen. "Meanwhile, I'll make dinner."

Closing his eyes, Knockout took the drink and downed it quickly, shuddering with disgust after it was gone. _Note to self: antacid is terrible._ He thought.

June began putting something into a pot. Knockout looked in curiously. "What are you making?"

"Macaroni and cheese." June replied. "Jack's favorite."

"That reminds me...where is the boy?"

"At work until eight."

Knockout raised an eyebrow. "Where does he work?"

June sighed. "Do you always ask so many questions?"

The former Cybertronian raised his hands in defense. "I'm just trying to be social."

"Well stop. I liked the silence."

Knockout backed away with a huff. "Touchy human..." He muttered, before deciding to explore

the new environment.

It was a clean place, Knockout noticed gratefully. If there was anything he couldn't stand, it was filth. The floors were made of polished wood planks, and the walls of painted plaster. Not sturdy, but pretty all the same.

One of the rooms had a sofa and something the humans referred to as a "love seat", a shortened couch made exclusively to hold two people. In front of them was a large television screen, mounted on a wall, with a bookcase of DVDs, CDs, and books beneath it.

Moving onto the hallway, Knockout noticed that it branched off into several rooms, not unlike the Nemesis' living quarters. A loud rumbling could be heard from behind one of the many doors. Curious, the medic took a peek inside.

Two machines were running, and there was a small pile of dirty-looking human garments on the floor. Atop one of the machines was a large bottle of "Laundry Soap". Knockout could only assume these machines cleaned the cloth coverings the humans wore. He shut the door, and went to the next one.

This one led to a dark blue room, with a mess on the floor, an untidy human berth, and various disorganized articles strewn around the room. Knockout shuddered in disgust and closed the door. _The tenant needs to clean their room..._ He thought.

The next room was much more pleasant to Knockout's eyes. A large king-sized bed was up against the far wall, cream-colored sheets and blankets arranged neatly. The carpeted floor was devoid of any kind of junk, and the only mess to be seen was on the dresser, where makeup lay out from recent use. _This must be June's room._ Knockout walked over to the makeup and started to clean it up, organizing the dresser. The mirror above it could use some dusting too, he noticed.

Then he noticed the mirror itself.

Or, more specifically, its reflection.

And, Knockout, being Knockout, did the one thing that seemed most logical when a problem regarding his looks was concerned.

He screamed.


	4. Adjustments

_**/Doctor-Knock-Humanized-Knockout-396538470**_

 _ **(That's KO's appearance.)**_

June came running when she heard Knockout's scream. Was he hurt?! Had he broken something?!

She burst into her room, only to find the ex-'Con staring at his reflection in her vanity mirror. His red eyes were wide as saucers, his expression one of complete horror. Her adrenaline levels dropped quickly, and she crossed her arms. "What's wrong?" She asked with a sigh.

"What's wrong?! How can you not see what's wrong?!" Knockout exclaimed. He whirled around, pointing to his face. "Why am I covered in these unsightly blemishes?!"

June's eyes widened, and Knockout felt a small bit of satisfaction. Finally, the human was seeing his plight. Now he just had to wait for a solut-

"R-Really?" June burst out laughing, doubling over with the effort.

The medic's expression darkened. "Why are you laughing?! It's horrible! Is it some kind of parasite?! Human rust, perhaps?! Tell me!"

"K-Knockout...!" She tried desperately to contain her laughter. "Th-those aren't b-blemishes...! Or r-rust!" A fresh peal of laughter broke out of her.

"Then explain what it is and what it's doing all over my face!"

She finally regained her composure, but couldn't hide the smile and the cheerful glimmer in her eyes. "It's called freckles, Knockout. It's completely normal!"

"Then why don't you have any?!" Knockout demanded.

June giggled. "Because it's a hereditary thing. My parents didn't have them, so I don't have them. Like my hair color." She gestured to her hair. "I have black, Jack's father had black, so Jack has black."

The former Cybertronian growled. _It must have something to do with the DNA Shockwave used..._ "Never mind that! Tell me how to get rid of them!"

"Sorry, Knockout." June said, shrugging. "Sadly, freckles are permanent."

Knockout thought he would have a heart attack then and there. _Rustlike spots?! Permanent, no less?! Primus, kill me now-_

"But I can help you cover them up."

He looked at her in awe. "You can?"

June nodded. "But only if you do what I ask, when I ask."

Knockout gulped. This human knew exactly how to control him...But it couldn't hurt to be compliant, right? If it got him whatever temporary cure June had for these...these _freckles..._ "Fine..."

The woman smirked. "Thank you. Now, I'll serve dinner. Go sit at the table."

He grudgingly obliged, walking over to the table. June returned to the kitchen, taking the pot of macaroni and serving it in two bowls. One of them, she wrapped in plastic wrap and put into the fridge. She then took two slices of bread and a jar of hazelnut spread, and made herself a sandwich. Taking both meals to the table, she set the bowl and a fork in front of Knockout.

The medic's eyes narrowed. "Is this meal edible?"

"Completely. I'm a good cook!" June defended.

"Then why aren't you eating it?"

"Oh." She rubbed the back of her head. "I'm lactose intolerant. I can't have it."

Knockout crossed his arms, expression clearly demanding an explanation. June tried to think of a suitable analogy for the red-eyed man. "...imagine it like...if you wanted a new coat of paint, and they only made one type of it, but you ended up being allergic to it." She took a gamble in assuming that Cybertronians had allergies.

Judging by the look that crossed Knockout's face, it seemed they did. "I see..." He said, an emotion in his voice. Was it...pity? That was when she remembered that his paintjob was his life. _Huh...I guess my analogy had a larger impact than I thought._

Knockout took a bite of the strange-looking orange food, and promptly stared at it. He looked up at June as he swallowed. "Mrs. Darby..."

The nurse frowned. "You don't like it?"

"Are you out of your processor?" He shook his head. "It's amazing. The fact that you can't have it makes me feel sorry for you."

June smirked. "Don't feel sorry. I got my chocolate hazelnut sandwich. I'm good."

Interest flickered across his freckled face. "May I try?"

"Maybe for lunch tomorrow." She replied. "If you're good." She added sternly.

Knockout nodded, mouth too full of macaroni to reply.

Just then, the front door opened. Jack Darby, age sixteen, walked in, only to see his mother eating dinner with some redheaded stranger. And by red, he meant really red. As in, deep scarlet, not the orange color the school bully, Vince, had. The stranger's hair was a bit wily, but was tidily cut, and he sported a small goatee at the bottom of his chin. He was dressed completely in white, the shirt seeming to be a bit large on him. Freckles covered his entire face- nose, cheeks, forehead...Jack was completely confused. "Um...mom? Who's this? A hospital patient?"

June smiled awkwardly. "You could say that..."

The stranger finished the bowl of macaroni, wiped his mouth on a napkin, and grinned. "Jack Darby. Haven't seen you in awhile."

Jack blanched. "K-K-Knockout?!"

Knockout's grin vanished. "In the flesh...unfortunately."

"Mom, what are you doing with him?!" The teenage boy exclaimed.

June chuckled. "Chaperoning him. Something happened on Cybertron and he turned into a human." She pointed to the fridge. "By the way, macaroni's in the fridge. Your favorite!"

Jack nodded hesitantly, going to the fridge, eyes on Knockout the entire time. The ex-'Con frowned. "Hey, you don't need to watch me like one of those organic birds of prey. We may have gotten into tough times before, but I assure you, you've given me more damage than I have you."

The teenager glared. "Well...you kidnapped my mom! So you've given me more emotional damage!"

"I highly doubt that." Knockout mused. "You have no idea what goes on when you fail Lord Megatron." Suddenly, he had a slightly pained look on his face.

June was quick to notice. "Knockout? Are you alright?"

"Are you humans supposed to have abdominal pressure after refueling?" He asked, his voice strained.

The nurse smirked. "Jack?"

Jack set down his bowl, with its yet untouched contents. "Y-Yes, mom...?" He knew what was coming next...

"Show Knockout to the bathroom, please."

"But mom...!"

"No 'but's. Jackson Darby, you will do it, or you're grounded."

Jack groaned. "This way, Knockout..." He walked down the hallway, embarrassed, the former Autobot in tow.


	5. Nighttime

"HUMANS. ARE. DISGUSTING!"

June nearly choked on her iced tea with laughter as she heard her guest's exclamation from across the hall. Pausing her show, she listened in on the conversation.

"Knockout, please-"

"Don't 'Knockout please' me! Your waste comes from your interfacing components?! And you can't even process your fuel enough to make the outcome a vapor?!"

"Look, I don't like this either, but if you want that pain in your gut to go away, you gotta do it."

"Or what?!"

"Or you'll end up waking up in a puddle of it! Like a little kid!"

"Human children wake up in puddles of their own liquid waste?!"

"No! I mean, yes, but- ugh, just go already!"

The nurse laughed again as the two males bickered over the subject of relieving oneself. Who knew that taking a Cybertronian in would prove to be so entertaining? As their squabble died down a bit, she resumed watching her show.

* * *

Tap tap

"Mrs Darby...are you going to remain in stasis forever?"

Tap tap

"If so, I'll gladly, as Jack put it, raid the fridge."

June opened her eyes and looked up. "Huh...?"

Knockout was standing over her, tapping her shoulder, still dressed in the white getup Ratchet had dressed him in before his awakening. He smirked. "There we go. Having enough stasis time, Mrs. Darby?"

The nurse sat up. "Stasis...?" She asked tiredly.

"I believe the human term is sleep." The man replied. "I let you be for an hour or so, but when Jack went to his room for his stasis, I got bored." He sat down beside his hostess, picking up the remote. After pressing a few numbers with no response, he frowned. "Explain this device." He said.

June took it from him, and pressed the power button, turning the TV on. "It's the remote. It controls the TV." She glanced at the clock. _Eleven PM...I have time for a movie. But what movie…?_ She began to search through her recorded list. _Oh! This one was good!_

"Captain America?" Knockout asked. "Sounds dumb."

June frowned. "I'll have you know it's a good movie. And it's what I'm watching. So, you can watch with me, or go to 'stasis'. I don't care."

"Eh...I'll watch." Knockout replied. "I couldn't shutdown now, anyways."

The nurse pressed the play button, flicked a nearby lightswitch, and nestled into the couch to watch.

"Why'd you just-"

"Shh! It's starting!"

"But-"

"Shh!"

Knockout huffed in irritation, crossing his arms and focusing his attention on the now well-lit screen. He was quiet as it introduced itself, panning in, showing Hydra threatening the priest, until the Tesseract was shown. His eyes went wide. "An energon cube?!"

"No, the Tesseract." June corrected.

"But that's the _exact_ shape and color of an energon cube!"

"But it's not."

"Wha-"

"Shut up and watch!"

"But-" Knockout went silent as he saw just what that "energon cube" could do. His red eyes widened in awe and horror. "...oh…"

* * *

When the movie ended, Knockout was outraged. "They ended it like that?! How is that an ending?!"

June yawned tiredly. "It's the start of a series, Knockout...tomorrow, we'll watch The Avengers."

"Tomorrow?!"

"It's one fifteen in the morning!" June replied in near despair. "And I'm tired! Aren't you?!"

Knockout frowned. He was in need of stasis shutdown, but the suspense...he _had_ to see the next movie…! But if there was the promise of seeing it tomorrow…"Fine. I'll shut down for the night." He said. _The faster tomorrow comes, the faster I can watch the rest._

"Good. Tomorrow's a big day." June got up and stretched, then held out her hand to help him up. "Come on. I'll show you to the guest room."

The former Cybertronian looked at her with a raised eyebrow as he got up. "Big day? Why?"

"We're going shopping tomorrow. You need clothes, I need more makeup, and we both need groceries."

"That reminds me...you never did cover up these rust-fleck markings."

"Freckles."

He shuddered. "Don't even speak the name!"

The nurse chuckled. "Let's go. I'll do them in the morning, alright?"

"Alright…" He looked towards the hallway. "You said you had a guest room for me? I sincerely hope it's not that blue room. It's a horrific mess."

"Is that so…?" June clenched her fists. "Rest assured, Jack will be cleaning his room after school. _Immediately_ after."

Knockout smirked to himself. It seemed June Darby shared his same need of cleanliness in an environment. "So, Mrs. Darby, please show me to my berth?"

"Your...what?"

"Berth. You know, a stasis area for resting purposes?" He frowned. "You and Jack each had one in your respective rooms…"

June's eyes widened in realization. "Oh. You mean your bed."

"I'm assuming so."

"This way." She led him down the hallway and to a room adjacent to hers. "This one's yours." She said.

Curious, the ex-'Con peered inside. The room obviously hadn't been touched in awhile, apparent by the dust collected on the dresser and desk. Though, overall, the area was nice. Knockout stepped in, the brown carpet soft beneath his bare feet. The windows had blinds on them, closed to prevent the light outside from entering. The large bed was made with gray sheets and a sky blue quilt, with two white pillows on it. The walls were painted a pale blue, and hung on one of them was a large, full-length mirror. Knockout crossed his arms. "What are those?" He asked, nodding his head at the pillows.

June followed his line of vision. "The pillows?"

"If those are the white fluffy things, then yes. What purpose do they serve? I understand the cloth covering, since this form seems to have a low tolerance to cold, but what is the point of those?"

"You rest your head on them when you go to sleep." The nurse explained. "It's so that you're more comfortable. Now, unless you have any more questions, I'm going to bed." She moved to go to her room, but stopped right outside it. "Sleep well, Knockout." She said softly, looking back at him.

Knockout was quiet for a moment. "...goodnight, Mrs. Darby." And with that, he walked all the way in and shut the door.

The racer lay down in the bed, hands folded behind his head, and stared up at the ceiling. He sighed. _What have I gotten myself into…?_ He wondered. _I'm a human, around people I barely know...will I ever be Cybertronian again…?_ He closed his red eyes. _Why me, Shockwave? Why choose your former subordinate? You could have easily tested a Vehicon...or even a scraplet. Neither would have been noticed missing for quite some time...why choose me?_ Depression and despair that he'd been hiding all day took hold of him while he was alone. _I...I'll never be myself again...will I? No, don't think like that, Knockout...you'll never get any rest like this. Worrying about what happened won't help right now._ He turned over, pulling the blankets over himself, and laying his head on one of the pillows. _She was right...These are comfortable..._ He found himself drifting off to stasis- no, _sleep_ , he corrected himself- almost immediately. _I suppose I'll just have to find my way around whatever happens for now..._ And with that thought on his mind, the former Autobot let the darkness of night consume him, drowning his worries in the peaceful bliss of sleep.


	6. Showers

"Knockout, wake up…!"

Knockout groaned. "Five more kliks…"

"I assume that means minutes. And no, you're getting up now. It's 10:30!"

The medic growled in irritation at June Darby's voice, taking one of the pillows and covering his head with it. "Leave me alone!" He said, his voice muffled by the soft cotton.

June rolled her eyes and grabbed her guest by the shoulder, yanking him out of bed and making him fall on the floor.

"HEY! WATCH IT!" Knockout shouted. He got to his feet, and glared at her, red eyes fiery with anger. His hand cupped his shoulder as if it were actually injured, gingerly rubbing it with his thumb.

June, being a nurse, noticed. "Are you alright?"

"No, I am not alright!" Knockout retorted. "My shoulder is stinging! Why must you humans be so sensitive?!"

"We're not that sensitive…" June muttered. She reached out and grabbed Knockout's hand. "Let me see your shoulder."

"Have you blown a fuse, Mrs. Darby?! You just hurt me! Why would I show you it?!" Knockout demanded.

The nurse put her hands up in defense. "Fine. Have it your way." She crossed her arms. "Anyways, you need to shower so we can leave."

"Shower?"

June paused. "You...don't know how a shower…" She blanched. "Oh no, I am not teaching you how to wash yourself. You're on your own for this."

"Humans have washracks?" Knockout asked in surprise. "Why is that a concern if you teach me or not?"

"Because...because you're a man!" June said, the color steadily returning to her face...so much, that she was nearly as red as her guest's hair.

Said guest frowned. "So? Why does it matter if I'm male or not?"

"Remember your...ah...'interfacing equipment'?" June asked, getting more flustered by the minute. When he nodded in the affirmative, she continued. "Do Cybertronians have a counterpart?"

"Of course. Males have spikes, females have valves." His shamelessness stunned and embarrassed her further, but he didn't seem to notice. "I still don't see why that would prevent you from showing me how to use the human washracks."

"Would you go in the washracks with a female if your...ahem...spike was exposed?"

"Of course not! The very idea is mortifying!"

"That would be why I'm not going with you."

Knockout raised an eyebrow. "Again, I don't see the problem. My human spike is in its housing, completely unpressurised."

Ah. Now June saw the problem. She put on a straight face. "Knockout, when you shower, you take off your clothes."

Realization dawned on Knockout's face, followed by complete horror at the very idea that this she-human would see his spike. Jack was one thing, back in the bathroom incident. He was male. But a female seeing him in all his glory?! "I...see…" He swallowed, regaining his composure, and gestured towards the door. "Lead the way to the 'shower', if you please…"

June nodded, and walked him down to the bathroom. Knockout, seeing the disgusting place, tried to back away, only to have his wrist grabbed by the woman. "Oh, no. You're not getting away without washing up. Jack doesn't, you don't." She opened the door, and pushed him in. "Toilet's there if and when you need it, towels are under the sink to dry off with. When you come out of here, wrap it around your waist. I'll see you in thirty minutes." And with that, she shut him in the white-tiled room.

Knockout looked at the waste disposal unit, or as June referred to it, the toilet. Disgusting as it was, he knew he would have to use it again. He turned to the sink beside it. Jack had made him wash his hands after his first time using the toilet, and now that he knew its function- to clean hands once they had gotten dirty- he was grateful he had done so. If he, Jack, and June used that toilet to dispose of waste...he shuddered.

Beside the faucet was a small holder, with two brushlike things in them. Each one was a stick, with the soft white bristles on the end of them. Knockout scoffed. Those weren't even big enough to clean his rear view mirrors! What purpose could they possibly serve the humans?

Speaking of mirrors, he turned his attention to the large mirror above the sink. The last time he had paid any attention to a mirror, it had been when he was screaming in horror at the freckles on his face. He still despised those infernal markings, but now that the initial shock was gone, he could properly look at himself in the mirror. His hair was, thankfully, the same gorgeous scarlet he'd strived to maintain on his perfect Cybertronian form. He had a red goatee at the bottom of his chin, reminding him of the chinplate he'd had back then. Upon further inspection, he realized that it hadn't been styled that way- it was natural, and the only area of facial hair he had. No mustache, no stubble on any other areas, just that goatee. His ears, he noticed, were more visible than June's or Jack's. He frowned.

They nearly stuck out.

He tried pushing them to flatten them against his head, but whenever he let go, they returned to their former positions. It seemed he was stuck with them.

Deciding it was high time he went to the washracks as June had suggested, he removed the clothing, albeit with some difficulty. Soon, the shirt, pants, and briefs he had woken up with were cast onto the floor. Knockout looked back in the mirror, and glared at his reflection.

His face wasn't the only part suffering. His shoulders, torso, back, and neck were covered in freckles. And he thoroughly hated them. Biting his lip, he turned away from the mirror. At least those blemishes would be covered when he put his clothes back on. And the faster he took this shower, the faster June would cover the ones on his face. He stepped into the human washrack, and looked for the power switch.

On the wall were, curiously, two knobs, one red and one blue, and a switch. The bottom of the switch said BATH, the top said SHOWER. Knockout sighed. What he wouldn't give for an oil bath back in his old self...but humans and oil were incompatible. Industrial oil was toxic to them, he knew that much. A bath here, much like a shower in the washracks, probably consisted only of water. Plain, boring old H20. He flipped the switch to SHOWER, and reached for the blue knob.

Ice cold water sprayed from the showerhead, making the ex-'Con yelp and jump out of the shower. He reached back in only to shut it off, and stood there, shivering. Are these washracks or torture devices?! Staying outside the shower this time, he reached for and turned on the red knob, then tentatively felt the water that poured down. It started moderately cold, then grew hotter and hotter...finally, it dawned on him. The two knobs were for temperature adjustment. The red meant hot, the blue meant cold, and he was supposed to mix the two together.

He adjusted the temperature until it suited his taste, then stepped in. Surprisingly, it felt nice on his bare skin. Rather than the constant ping-ping-ping he would hear as the water droplets hit his metal, all he heard for the most part was the contact of water and tile. Certainly a change for the better.

Knockout saw a bottle in a rack on the wall of the shower. He looked at it curiously. Cleansing chemicals? Humans have those, too? Reaching out and grabbing it, the former Autobot read the label.

 **TRESemmé: USED BY PROFESSIONALS**

 **NEW ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY**

 **INSTANTLY LOCKS IN MOISTURE**

 **MOISTURE RICH with vitamin e**

 **LUXURIOUS MOISTURE**

 **for dry or damaged hair**

 **SHAMPOO**

He didn't know about his hair being dry or damaged, but the word "Luxurious" made it too hard to resist. He turned it over and read the directions.

 **Coat hair with a liberal amount of shampoo. Gently massage the scalp and roots with fingertips to work into a lather. Leave for several minutes and rinse thoroughly.**

Simple enough. He put a small dab of it in his palm, then rubbed it into his hair, being careful not to get it in his eyes. If the cleansing chemicals he used as a Cybertronian stung his optics, there's no telling what this cleanser could do to his fragile human eyes.

When he had sufficiently worked up a thick lather, he leaned against the wall of the shower, using the bar of soap to rub himself down. At leastthat didn't need instructions. Knockout finished, and rinsed his hair, shutting off the water and stepping out. As he recalled, June had said that the towels to dry off with were underneath the sink. He took a step forward.

Unfortunately, June hadn't told him to be careful walking on tile floors with wet feet. Knockout slipped, hitting the sink counter face first before falling to the ground. Pain throbbed in his face, and he began muttering every Cybertronian and human profanity he could think of.

Knock-knock-knock

"Knockout?" It was June. "You alright in there?"

Knockout got up, leaning on the counter for support. "Fine, Mrs. Darby...slipped on these wretched tiles…" He looked in the mirror, and his eyes went wide. "Are humans supposed to leak red fluid?"

The door burst open at that remark. June ran in, worried. "Where?!" She looked at his face, and her question was answered.

Knockout had hit his nose when he fell, and blood was pouring freely from it. Grabbing a paper towel, she wiped away the dripping fluid, and handed it to him. "Keep this pressed to your nose. I'll get an icepack." She began to walk out, then paused. "And cover up, will you?"

The ex-'Con realized he'd forgotten the towel. His cheeks flushed red in embarrassment, and he quickly got one of the thick drying cloths out, wrapping it around his waist one-handedly, the other hand occupied with stemming the blood flow from his nose.

June soon returned with a small blue bag. She reached up, pressing it to his nose and holding it there. "Stay still." She said.

Knockout did as instructed. The cold was biting, like the cold shower had been, but it also brought a bit of relief to his burning nasal passage. After a minute or so, June withdrew the icepack. "There. The blood should have stopped now."

The man withdrew the paper towel. Sure enough, his nose had stopped bleeding. Knockout frowned. "What was that liquid?"

"Blood."

"Do I need it?"

"If you want to live, yes." So, this was the human internal equivalent of energon...June turned around. "I've left some clean clothes on your bed. They might not be your style, but you'll wear them until we buy new ones." And with that, she walked away.

Knockout threw the paper towel in the trash, then went to his room to change. The clothes she'd left out were a pair of khakis, some briefs, and a red polo shirt. Not really Knockout's taste, but at least she'd remembered his color.


	7. Mornings

Knockout sat at the table, eating a human food known as a waffle. The yellow breadlike food was surprisingly sweet, he'd found. Regardless of how much he enjoyed it, he made himself wolf it down rather than savor it. June had said she'd fix his cosmetic predicament after breakfast; the faster it was done, the better for him.

Once he'd finished the waffle, he brushed the crumbs off of his shirt and ran for June's room. "Mrs. Darby?" He called, knocking on the door. "I'm ready."

June opened the door, looking up at him. "Oh? And you ate breakfast?"

"Yes I did. One of those 'waffle' things in the freezer. Though, it was a bit _too_ frozen…"

"You do know you're supposed to put those in the toaster, right?" She asked.

Knockout's eyes widened. "Well, how was _I_ supposed to know that?!" He demanded. "It's not as if there were instructions on them!" At this, June crossed her arms. The ex-'Con paused. "...there were, weren't there?"

"Uh-huh."

He sighed. "Just get these human rust spots off my face."

June chuckled, taking his hand and pulling him over to her bureau, where her makeup was, once again, out and disorganized. The sight irritated Knockout slightly. Hadn't he just fixed that yesterday?

"Alright, Knockout. Your skin color isn't the same as mine, so I can't use too much of my makeup. Fortunately for you, I know how to make it work." She grabbed two bottles, one labeled FOUNDATION and the other, MOISTURIZER. She poured a dab of each into her palm, and mixed them with her finger.

Knockout was confused. "If they're corrective chemicals, I don't see why my skin color matters."

"First of all, they're not corrective chemicals. Hold still." June said, dabbing it onto his face. Her fingers were gentle, especially in comparison with the various times she'd grabbed his arm. "It's more like...paint. You were a scarlet red. Would you cover up a scratch with a shade lighter or darker than your original tone?"

He scoffed. "Of course not! That's absurd! It would make me look all patchy!"

"Well, I'm covering up your 'scratches' with 'paint'. And if the tone doesn't match, your face will look patchy." She rubbed the foundation in, blending it with his skin to make it look natural. "There. What do you think?"

Knockout looked in the mirror, inspecting June's work. He smiled at himself.

Every last one of those dreaded freckles was gone.

He reached up to touch the smooth skin, but June smacked his hand away. He growled. "Hey!"

"No touching." She warned. "It's not like car paint. If you touch it, it comes off."

Well, that was certainly good to know. He lowered his hand. "How long does this last?"

"A few hours. I'll buy you your own today. Come on." June replied. She walked out of the room, her redheaded guest following. Going to the counter, she grabbed her keys, her purse, and her phone, then headed for the front door. Walking into the driveway, she went to her car, which, once again, Knockout looked at with disgust.

"Honestly, Mrs. Darby, I don't understand how you could choose a vehicle of this model." He looked it over. "Or color."

June sighed, getting in. "It was the only one I could afford at the time."

"And now?"

"Now, I have more important things to worry about. Such as housing another person in the family, on top of being a single mom."

The former Cybertronian got into the passenger seat. "Single mother…? What happened to your Conjunx Endura?"

"Conjunx Endura…?" June asked.

He nodded. "Jack's sire? The one you were united with and took the name Darby from?"

"Oh...my husband…" June gave a slight, awkward smile. "He and I...split ways."

"Split ways?"

"Yeah...we divorced. We're not married anymore."

Knockout looked completely stunned. "Why…?"

June started the car and shrugged. "We were happy for a few years...then I got pregnant with Jack. And Jason...he and I got into a fight over what we were going to do to pay the bills that come with having a baby." She sighed. "So...he left. Jack never met him. And he never came back." She started to drive.

Knockout clenched his fists. "So, let me get this straight...he sparkmerged- ahem, _married_ you, interfaced with you, had you carrying, then left you on your own to care for your youngling, because of an argument over _currency?!"_

The Cybertronian terms were a bit difficult to sift through, but June figured it out quickly. "Yeah...that about sums it up…"

Knockout let out a low growl. "This is outrageous!" He thundered. "How could he leave his Conjunx Endura?! Who was carrying, no less?!"

June shrank from his voice. This was the angriest she'd ever seen him, even though her encounters were limited to this one and the Predacon bone incident. "Knockout, enough." She said as sternly as she could.

He took deep breaths to calm himself. "I suppose this _divorce_ is some sort of human custom…?" He asked, the anger in his voice still apparent, but much more restrained.

"Not exactly...it's just something to annul a marriage between a couple who don't love each other anymore." June replied. "Not the usual, but commonplace enough not to be surprising."

There was a long pause.

"You humans disgust me at a whole new level."

She looked at him for an explanation. "So, Cybertronians don't have a form of divorce?"

"Of course not!" Knockout said, fury thick in his tone. "Sparkmerging is inseparable! Permanent! Couples pledge for life! To think that humans would leave their mates because of a disagreement…?!"

June sighed. "Well, good for you with your 'permanent sparkmerging'. Doesn't make me any less of a single mom." She pulled into the mall parking lot. "Anyways, we're here. Let's go do some shopping." She stepped out of the car and waited for him to do the same.

Knockout stepped out, looking at the building they'd parked in front of, and his anger over the sensitive subject was all but forgotten. He gaped at the mall with wide, red eyes. "This is where we go shopping…?!"

"Yep." June locked the car. "Let's go."


	8. The Mall's Many Conveniences

Knockout looked at all the clothing racks stretched out before him, eyes as wide as saucers. "Primus…"

The men's clothing section was full of human coverings in every shape, size, and color imaginable. From polo shirts to expensive suits to "tank tops" to ripped jeans, this place had everything! And there was even a place to try things on and see if they looked good on him!

"See anything you like, sir?"

He turned to see one of the store attendants, a young, dark-skinned girl whose nametag read "Serena". He put a hand to his chin. "Well, Serena, I was wondering if you had any racing attire in stock?"

Serena nodded. "That would be in our sporting section. This way, please." She began to walk down the hall. Knockout followed eagerly. Even if he couldn't speed through towns in his Cybertronian mode, perhaps he could still look like a professional champion.

Meanwhile, June walked through the hunting area, en route to the makeup section, to go get some new makeup; an essential if Knockout was going to be using foundation. She'd felt anxious about leaving him in the store alone, especially since he had a rather...wild personality. But as soon as he'd seen the clothing section, he'd refused to leave until he found something he liked. Knowing him, that would take _forever_ , and she didn't have all day to wait for him.

She rounded the corner of the isle, only to crash headfirst into someone else. Both fell over with a yelp of alarm, landing harshly on the tile floor.

"Are you alri- _JUNE?!"_

June looked up, eyes widening. The man she'd crashed into moments ago was none other than Agent William Fowler, the Autobots' liaison to the outside world. She gasped. "Bill?! What are you doing here?!"

Agent Fowler pulled her to her feet, smiling. "I was in the area and thought I'd stop by to get some hunting gear. What brings you over here? I didn't think you were into hunting."

"Oh, no…" June giggled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm here to get more foundation. A guest of mine used quite a bit of it this morning."

"Ah. Makeup." Agent Fowler nodded. He gave a confident grin. "You know, I've got a government-issue credit card. I could get that foundation for you."

"That's nice of you, but no, I couldn't…" June replied. "I don't want to trouble you…"

"Nonsense. It's no trouble at all!" Agent Fowler said.

"Oh, I don't know…"

Just then, another voice called out. "Oh, Mrs. Darby~!"

The two turned to see a familiar red-haired man running toward them, three pairs of F1 Pilot pants, with as many white collared shirts and red vests, draped across his arm. Agent Fowler raised an eyebrow. "Friend of yours?"

"Not exactly…" She replied.

The redhead stopped in front of the duo, looked at Fowler, and frowned. "Oh, great. It's _you."_

Agent Fowler gaped. _"KNOCKOUT?!"_

"Yes, yes, we've been over this before." Knockout said, rolling his crimson eyes. "Unfortunately, I'm part of your race now, primitive as it is…"

June sighed. "This, Bill, is why I need more foundation...Knockout's staying at my house, and needs it to cover his freckles."

Agent Fowler looked stunned. "B-but...he's...what...how…" He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "How is he human?"

"I'm not sure...he hasn't told me yet."

"And don't expect me to, either." Knockout shuddered at the memory. "Things are better left unsaid at times…"

"And...you said he's staying at your house…?!" Agent Fowler crossed his arms.

"Relax, Bill." June said. "I can handle him. He's like a confused little puppy-"

"Excuse me, _I'm right **here!"**_

"Anyways, if worst comes to worst, I have a weapon of my own." The nurse gave a smile, pulling a spray bottle out of her pocket.

Agent Fowler looked at it. "Is that…"

"Pepper spray." June finished, her smile widening.

Knockout blanched. "Keep that scrap away from me!" He exclaimed, backing up.

June laughed. "Best stay on my good side, eh, Knockout?" She said, giving him a wink. Her smile faded when she saw what he was holding, however. "Uh...what are those?"

"My clothes. You said I could get whatever I wanted, three outfits. And I want these." He held up the racing pants. "These especially."

The nurse stared. "F1 Pilot pants?! Where did you get those?!"

"Sporting section. An attendant named Serena showed me."

"Do you know how _expensive_ those are?!"

Knockout shrugged. "Does it matter? When it comes to looking my best, there _is_ no price."

"Yeah, no price, _unless you're the one paying!"_ June exclaimed. "I can't afford _one_ of those! Let alone three!"

"But you said-"

"I said I'd buy you three outfits! Not three racing suits!"

"Ahem, if I may…" Both bickering adults turned to look at Agent Fowler. Said agent straightened his tie with a satisfied smile. "I'd be more than happy to pay for Knockout's outfit choices."

June shook her head. "No, I couldn't ask you to...I'll just make Knockout put his ridiculously priced pants back."

"It's fine, June. I make more in a month than most do in a year." Agent Fowler said, pulling out a credit card.

Knockout nodded eagerly. "Listen to your boyfriend, Mrs. Darby. He's willing to pay for my things, so why are you complaining?"

June sighed, defeated. "Fine...if you insist, Bill." She turned to glare at Knockout. "And he's not my boyfriend!"

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say." The former Cybertronian shrugged.

"Anyways, I still need to buy my makeup." June said. She turned to walk to the makeup section. "Knockout, you need to come with me. And Bill, don't even think about volunteering to pay for it. I came here to buy things, not get paid for." She grabbed Knockout by the wrist and dragged him over to the makeup department.

"Hey! Watch it!" Knockout said, attempting to yank his arm back. He was about to tell her off, when she took a sample bottle off a shelf and dabbed a bit of color on him. He looked at her strangely. "What are you doing…?"

"Testing colors. That's too light." June grabbed a slightly darker bottle off the shelf, and dabbed it. "There. That matches." She grabbed three bottles worth, then got one of her shade.

Knockout frowned, confused. "I don't get it…"

"I had to test your colors and find one that matched." June responded. "Now, let's go to the checkout counter." She began to walk towards the cashier, leaving Knockout and Agent Fowler to follow themselves.

The ex-'Con looked at his wrist, and frowned. "...I'm all blotchy."

"Here." Agent Fowler said, handing him a cotton ball from the sample stand.


	9. Flirtatious

June Darby walked out to the parking lot, two men behind her overburdened by numerous shopping bags. She smiled. "Thank you for volunteering to hold my purchases for me! It was really considerate of you!"

Agent Fowler chuckled to himself. "No trouble at all, June. It's the least I could do."

 _"I_ didn't volunteer for this…" Knockout muttered.

"No, you were volun _told_." June said sternly to her charge. "Now, load those in the back, and we'll be on our way."

Sighing, the former Cybertronian walked up to the less-than-fashionable car and loaded his share of June's shopping bags in the car. Agent Fowler soon followed suit, and the car's back was quickly filled to the point that the seats were unavailable. The dark-skinned man brushed his hands off in satisfaction. "All done, June." He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "Do you think sometime you and I could spend some time together?"

Knockout pinched the bridge of his nose. _Humans and their "subtlety"..._

June rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't see why not…" She smiled as an idea came to her. "In fact, why don't you come over tonight?"

"Tonight?!" Knockout exclaimed.

"We're watching The Avengers!" The nurse continued, ignoring her guest's protest.

Agent Fowler nodded. "Sounds good. I'll be there at seven?"

"Perfect! See you then!" She got into the driver's seat of her car as the agent left for his own.

Knockout got in on his side of the car, glaring crossly. "Mrs. Darby…that night was supposed to be for us."

June smirked. "What? Are you jealous?"

"Jealous of a fleshie?! Perish the thought." He huffed. "It's uncomfortable enough being around you and your son. Why don't we just add your pudgy governmental boyfriend to the mix?"

"He's not pudgy!" She started the car. "And he's not my boyfriend!"

"Oh, no, of course not. Those definitely were not date invitations. _'In fact, why don't you come over tonight? We're watching The Avengers!'_ " He mocked in a high-pitched voice. "Please, Mrs. Darby, it was _obvious."_

"Or, you're completely wrong, and are jumping to conclusions." June began to drive home, adjusting the rearview mirror to see the road behind her. "Besides, he's not my type."

Knockout shot her a puzzled look. "I wasn't aware humans had types. Does it have to do with epidermal coloring…? Can certain humans not procreate with others?"

"No! Skin color and...procreation...have nothing to do with it!" June sighed. "When someone says that 'They're not my type', they mean that the other person's personality doesn't suit their preferences."

"Oh...then in that case, you, Mrs. Darby, are most certainly _not_ my type."

"Likewise."

. . .

At seven o'clock sharp, there was a ring of the doorbell. Knockout looked up from his current task, perfectly arranging a bouquet of freshly cut red roses in a vase- a task given to him by June, which, due to his perfectionist nature, was taking far longer than it should have. Not wishing to be seen arranging flowers by the newest arrival, he ran over to the sink, calling out. "Mrs. Darby! Your boyfriend's here!"

"Not my boyfriend!" June replied, running to the door. She took a second to make sure she looked perfect, then opened the house's entrance.

Agent Fowler stood there, dressed in a pair of casual slacks and a white shirt, accompanied by a yellow and blue striped tie. He smiled. "Evening, June."

"Evening, Bill." June said, smiling back. "Come on in. We're about to start."

The tall man walked in, and he and June took a seat on the couch. June picked up the remote, and pressed the power button.

It didn't turn on.

Frustrated, the nurse pressed the button again, but to no avail. Agent Fowler stood up. "Let me try." He walked over to the television and pressed the power button manually. Still, nothing happened. He checked behind the device. "Huh...it's plugged in…"

"I'll go check the circuit breaker." June said, walking over to the garage. Agent Fowler sighed, sitting back on the couch as he waited.

"She doesn't have an interest in you, you know."

He looked up. "What?"

Knockout stood behind the couch, leaning on the edge of it. Rather than the polo shirt and khakis, from before, he now wore his new outfit, sporting gray and red F1 pilot pants, a white, long-sleeved collared shirt, and red vest. "June Darby has no romantic interests in you."

"Oh, you think so?" Agent Fowler asked, frowning. "And what brought you to that conclusion?"

"Simple. You're not her type."

"And what _is_ her type, wise guy?"

"I don't know yet. I'm working on it."

He rolled his eyes. "Sure you are…"

"Don't believe me?" Knockout asked with a quirk of his eyebrows.

"Of course not!" Agent Fowler puffed out his chest in pride. "And I'll show you tonight! I _will_ win her over!"

The ex-'Con laughed. "I'd like to see you try." He said, walking back to the kitchen.

Agent Fowler straightened his tie. "We'll see about that, 'Con…"

Just then, June returned. "Circuit breaker's working fine...I don't know what's wrong with it." She sat down with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Bill. You came all this way for nothing."

"I...wouldn't say that…" The agent replied, smiling slightly. "I came over to spend time with you, June. Not just watch TV. We could talk about things, you know?"

"Like what?" June tugged a strand of hair free from her ponytail. "I'm not really much of a conversationalist…" She said with a nervous smile.

Agent Fowler thought for a minute. "Um…" _Think, William, think! You can do this!_ "What about the weather?"

"Oh, for the love of Primus!"

Both adults looked up. Knockout walked into the room, frustrated. "I couldn't help but overhear that _delightful_ attempt at dialogue. But really? Weather?" He scoffed. "You don't know anything, do you, Fowler?"

Agent Fowler bristled. "And what would _you_ know about conversations, 'Con?!"

"One, I'm an Autobot. And two, apparently more than you. Allow me to demonstrate." He knelt before June, and looked at her seriously. "Now, don't think for a moment that I'm in any way attracted to you. In fact, your race still repulses me in _every_ possible way; I'm just demonstrating to your pathetic excuse for a date how to conquer a lady."

June looked at him suspiciously. "And you're going to do what exactly?"

"You'll see." Knockout gave a seductive smirk, and June knew he was serious about this demonstration. "The thing about females," He said, directed at Agent Fowler, "of either your race or mine, is that they have one thing in common that they love. And that would be pretty objects." He moved faster than June could see, and suddenly, in his hand was a bouquet of scarlet-red roses.

June was stunned. "...Roses…?"

"Indeed." Knockout replied, offering them to her. She wondered where he had gotten them, until she remembered the task she'd assigned him an hour ago. "I thought you would find them appropriate, as a rose is the flower of the month of June." His expression softened considerably, leading June to believe he was indeed genuine. "And your eyes...silver blue. More beautiful than any expanse of water on this planet, mark my words."

The nurse blushed. He certainly knew his way with words. And how he held himself, possibly even how he looked...she'd always found freckles to be cute...he may be the first man in a while she'd consider handsome.

"Um...I think this is going too far, Knockout…" She said nervously. This was possibly more embarrassing than the time one of Jack's friends at school confessed his love for her.

Knockout winked. "That's my name. Although, you may call me Jofy if you prefer."

"Jofy? What does that mean?"

"Well, you see, there was-"

"Alright, you've made your point!" Agent Fowler cut in. "But I'll remind you, she's _my_ date, and I'm in the _same_ room!"

"Easy, lover-boy." Knockout said. "As much as I totally outmatch you in looks, fashion, intelligence, and finnesse, I'm not interested in your wife-to-be."

"Wife to be?!"

"Knockout-"

"Shh…" Knockout pressed a finger to June's lips. "No words right now, beautiful…" June immediately went quiet once again. She bit her lip. Just how far was this man going to go? Hadn't he proved he was the better one in the flirting department?

"Let your hair down."

"What?"

Knockout smirked charmingly. "You heard me. Untie your hair."

"My...hair…?" June blinked in surprise. Had the ex-'Con just told her to let down her hair?

"The strands of fiber atop your head. Don't you think they'd be lovelier let down?" Knockout reached behind her and pulled her ribbon free, letting June's hair fall down her back. It reached all the way to her shoulder blades, to Agent Fowler's surprise. The former Cybertronian nodded in approval. "Much better." He returned his attention to the agent. "But you- you are a mess! Your epidermal coloring is fine, decent even, but you could do better in regards to your clothing!" He stood up, gesturing to Fowler's ensemble. "Red. Red is a much better color. Ladies love red. Particularly shades of scarlet, though apple-colored isn't as bad. Take it from an expert."

June hated to admit it, but he was right. Red _was_ a beautiful color.

"Besides, would it kill you to trim down a bit? Women love slim waists, strong builds, and squared shoulders. See?" He showed off his form. Freckled and red-eyed or not, his figure was toned rather nicely.

Despite that, the nurse stood up. "Knockout, please-"

"Oh, you want to continue our little rehearsal?" He smirked. "By all means."

"That's not what I-"

"Shh…" He silenced her with a finger once again, the same hand going and cupping her cheek. "He's not here right now. Just you, me, and the stars…"

Agent Fowler clenched his fists at this display, but didn't intervene. Call it him wanting pointers, but he'd had his fair share of girl troubles in the past…

"Now, Mrs. Darby…" Knockout continued. "I was wondering...would you be mine to treasure…?"

June was at a loss for words. The redhead was moving in closer, her heart was pounding, she was blushing like no tomorrow, and it looked like he was going to kiss her...him...kissing her...her beating heart fluttered ever more wildly, only a few millimeters separating the two, and then-

"You see?" Knockout drew back, just before their lips touched. "That, _Bill_ , is how to win a lady." He walked over to the television and kicked it, causing the device to turn on. "Percussive maintenance as well." He walked out of the room, and June heard him from the kitchen. "Oh, hello Jack."

June turned around.

Jack was staring, blue-gray eyes wide, jaw dropped in shock. There was a dull thud as his backpack hit the floor.


	10. Shaking

_Black surrounded him. Not the peaceful black of night, nor the sleek black used on cars. No, this black seemed...intimidating._

 _A light flashed on, focused on Knockout alone. It was too bright. It stung his optics, made him cringe._

 _"Ah, Knockout. What a pleasure to see you again."_

 _He froze. That voice...one he'd had to answer to for scientific endeavors in the past, who'd disappeared during the fight with the Dark Energized Predacons...the one who had tortured him and turned him human. "Shockwave! Release me!" He found himself saying. No sooner had he said it, than he felt the weight of energy cuffs materialize on his form._

 _"I'm afraid I can't do that...traitor."_

 _"Traitor?!"_

 _"That's right. You joined the Autobots in the hour of Decepticon need."_

 _Shockwave became visible, singular red optic glowing eerily in the darkness. Knockout struggled against his bonds. "The Decepticons are no more! Megatron said so himself!"_

 _"Ah, but you defected before he said that. Therefore, you're a disgrace to all of us who served in his ranks while he reigned. And traitors...deserve to be punished." Previously, Knockout hadn't thought it possible for his former commanding officer to sound anything but logical. But now...he had a tone of emotionless sinisterity to his voice. He was in control. Knockout had absolutely no power to fight back._

 _"You psychopath!" The Autobot shouted. "What are you doing to me?!"_

 _Soundwave walked nearly out of view to a darkened table. "Merely an experiment." His lack of emotion, even now, was disturbing. But knowing what the experiments of the mono-optical Cybertronian usually entailed was more unnerving and terrifying than his voice._

 _"And just what is this experiment?! Tell me!" Knockout demanded._

 _"I'm researching just how closely Cybertronians resemble other life forms."_

 ** _No._**

 _"You're aware that we are all directly descended from Primus? Granted, that was before any of our times, but he had the original CNA composition?"_

 ** _No._**

 _"Where are you going with this…?"_

 ** _This can't be happening._**

 _"Primus' counterpart was Unicron the Destroyer. And from him was descended the life forms on that planet that was the object of our war the past three years- Earth."_

 ** _Not to me._**

 _"So, as Unicron and Primus were related, so too should our species be similar to the life forms referred to as humans. By how much…? We shall soon see."_

 ** _Not again._**

 _"W-What are you doing?! What is that?!"_

 _"A sample of DNA, the organic counterpart of our genetic material. I will fuse it to yours, and record the results that follow."_

 ** _Not this torture again!_**

 _"Fuse it to my CNA?! And what can you hope to accomplish through that?!"_

 _"It's simple. If the two genetic substances are compatible, one will consume and assimilate the other. In that instance, it is a matter of which genetic material is dominant. CNA? Or DNA?"_

 ** _This can't be happening again!_**

 _"And...if they're incompatible?"_

 _"It will override and corrupt your systems. You will be terminated."_

 ** _Stop it! STOP IT!_**

 _"You can't do this to me! You can't!"_

 _"But I can, Knockout. I wonder...what would you look like as a human?" He injected the medic with the DNA syringe, and fresh, REAL pain swept through his frame._

 ** _NO!_**

Knockout awoke with a cry of panic, bolting upright in bed. His hands shook visibly, trembling with shock. Cold sweat trickled down his neck.

 _Why…?_

He clenched his fists and grit his teeth, still shaking. _Why am I forced to endure this ordeal again…? Wasn't it painful enough the first time?! Why, Primus, why?!_

Droplets of water fell onto his hands. He was crying, he realized. The trauma must have caused it.

 _I...I need air…_

He got out of bed, walking out of his room and towards the back door. _A good training session should get my mind off this…_

. . .

June woke up at six o'clock sharp with her alarm. As usual on a weekday, she had to make breakfast and check her email, then get Jack up for school. It was normally both lonely and boring. But…

She smirked. After what he pulled last night, making things awkward between her and Agent Fowler, she felt she had a right to get him back for it. And, knowing that he liked to sleep in until ten in the morning, what better way to get revenge than to make him wake up four hours prior?

The nurse got out of bed and got dressed for the day, then walked over to Knockout's room and knocked on the door. "Oh, Knockout~" She called, her voice sickly sweet. "Time to wake up~"

No answer. She'd hoped as much. She ran to the bathroom and opened the cabinet beneath the sink, taking out a spray bottle full of water. Normally, June used this exclusively for Jack when he was having one of those slow mornings and wouldn't get out of bed. But this time, she could make an exception.

Knockout would be _so_ upset with her.

June opened Knockout's door slowly, creeping over to the bed. A large lump in the bed showed where Knockout was curled up, asleep. She drew back the blanket, expecting to find the ex-'Con, only for the lump to turn out to be the sheets, balled up from being slept in. June's smile faded. "Knockout?"

He was already up? Why?

She set the spray bottle on the nightstand and looked around. "Alright, cut the jokes. It's not funny, and you're not going to scare me by jumping out of some random corner." She crossed her arms, frowning. "...any time now, Knockout."

When there was still no response, she began searching the places he could hide. He wasn't in the closet, or under the bed, or behind the door...maybe he wasn't playing a childish game? Maybe he had actually gotten up. She walked out of the room, and thought about it. _He can't be in the bathroom, I was just there for the spray bottle...The kitchen, maybe?_ She went over to the kitchen, but there was no sign it had even been walked through. No lights on, nothing cooking, no crumbs...She glanced at the living room, and still found no sign of her houseguest.

She peered through the front window on impulse. _He didn't steal my car, did he?!_

June sighed in relief. Her car was still there. _Garage, maybe?_ She went to the garage and opened the door, but still no Knockout.

 _Where could he be…?_

Unless he'd run away in the middle of the night, there was only one other place he could be. Anxiety increasing that he'd done just that, to spite her for bringing Agent Fowler over, she hurried over to the back door and opened it.

Knockout didn't know how long he'd been out here. Minutes, hours, days, it didn't matter. What mattered was that _he couldn't stop that Primus-slagging shaking._ He didn't know about _human_ biology, but in Cybertronian biology, adrenergon was usually dissipated by hard work. So why wasn't it working?!

He punched the large maple tree in the Darbys' backyard again. He'd been doing so since 3 in the morning. By now, his fists were a scratched, bleeding mess, and every hit stung, but he didn't care at the moment. He just needed to get rid of all the pent-up adrenergon- or whatever the human equivalent was.

"Knockout?"

Knockout spun around, red eyes meeting blue. "Mrs. Darby, shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Shouldn't you?" June replied, walking forward. "What are you doing?"

He turned back to the tree. "Purging the human equivalent of adrenergon from my systems."

"You mean adrenaline?"

"Whatever." He went back to punching the treetrunk, returning the stinging feeling to his hands.

"So...you're trying to burn up your adrenaline?" June asked.

"Precisely."

She frowned. "How long have you been here?"

"Since exactly 3:04 Ante Meridian. Which brings me back to my earlier question." Knockout paused momentarily. "Why are you up so early?"

"Knockout...it's 6:12. You've been punching this tree for three hours."

His red eyes widened in shock. "Three hours and _still_ no change?!"

"Change…?" June asked.

Knockout held out his bloodied, trembling hands. "Look at these. Do you see it?" He brought them back to his sides. "I've been here for three hours, striking a lump of organic building material, making miniature lacerations in my hands on its accursed covering, and I'm still shaking like the leaves it grows!"

June's expression went from disapproving to concerned. "When did this start?"

"As soon as I emerged from stasis."

"Did you have a bad dream?" At this, Knockout was silent. June put a hand on his shoulder. "You can talk to me about it. I won't judge you."

He stiffened at her touch, but didn't push her away. "...no. I'm not willing to discuss it."

"In order to help, I need to know-"

"It was about my ordeal with Shockwave, and that's all you'll get out of me." He said, looking away from her.

June took a moment to think about it. Ultra Magnus had said that they'd found the Cybertronian-turned-human in Shockwave's lab as the violet scientist fled. Given what she'd heard about Shockwave, particularly in his genetic experiments, along with this new information, it was easy to deduce what had happened. "Shockwave's the one that turned you into a human..."

"Bingo. Give the lady a prize."

"And...that replayed in a nightmare, didn't it?" June asked. "That's why you're shaking…"

"Yes, yes. Thank you for solving that problem for me. Now, if you'll stand aside, I have a piece of lumber to pummel." Knockout replied bitterly.

"Knockout, staying out here and beating up my tree isn't going to solve your problem."

"Then what is?!" He thundered.

June's hand went from his shoulder to his hand, taking hold of it. "Let's get you breakfast, then after I wake Jack up for school, you and I can take a walk around the block. After that, you can take a shower, then rest a bit. I'll give you some melatonin if you need it."

Knockout took a deep breath. "...alright. We'll try it your way."


	11. Cybertronian History Lesson

Arcee zoomed through Jasper, on her way to Jack Darby's house. Since her return to Earth, she'd resumed being Jack's guardian voluntarily. With Bumblebee and Bulkhead, it had been because of their endearment to their charges, Raf and Miko. But with her, there was a different reason.

Her charge, Jack Darby, was currently sharing a house with the former Decepticon medic, Knockout. The Aston Martin had proved his mettle back when they were fighting against Unicron and his army of Dark Energized Predacons, and his dedication when it came to rebuilding Cybertron. As it turned out, the Kalisi surgeon had taken his fair share of engineering and architectural classes when studying for his caste-kindled medic position. Yet, even with these accomplishments, she didn't trust him around humans yet.

Especially _her_ human.

Arcee had yet to determine just what Shockwave had done to turn the racer into a human, but she was positive that whatever had happened, it wouldn't affect his opinion of the race positively.

She drove into the Darby's driveway, letting her holographic rider, Sadie, take a rest, and beeped her horn. The result was immediate. Jack Darby came running out of his house, quickly hopping on her seat and grabbing the handlebars. She frowned inwardly. "What's the rush, Jack?"

"The faster we get rolling, the faster I can tell you." He said. The urgency in his voice told her to listen to his advice, and she began to drive.

Once they had gotten a sufficient distance from the house, Arcee slowed. "Alright, hotshot, what's wrong?" She asked.

Jack sighed. "Arcee...while I'm at school, I need a favor."

"What sort of favor? If it involves driving around so girls see you-"

"No, no, nothing like that." The boy paused, as if choosing his words. "You...worked in surveillance before, right?"

She almost laughed. "That was one of my main jobs." 

"Good. I need you to- while they're outside at least- spy on my mom and Knockout."

Arcee screeched to a halt just before hitting a red light. "You _what?!"_

"I'm...worried…" Jack said hesitantly. When the motorbike stiffened, he quickly continued. "Not for her safety. Knockout hasn't made any threats or anything. But...last night…" His voice lowered to a whisper. "I saw him almost kiss my mom…"

 _"WHAT?!"_ Arcee's engine sputtered in alarm. "June...and _Knockout?!"_

"I didn't believe it either...but…" He held up his hand, showing only a few millimeters of space between his fingers. "He was this close to her…!"

Her rearview mirror focused on the space. She was in complete shock. Knockout, who openly proclaimed his distaste for humans, and especially romantic endeavors between them...and Jack's _mother?_ The most overprotective human she'd met, _and_ Knockout's former kidnapping victim? She was silent for awhile. Jack looked into her mirror. "Arcee…? You still there?" No response. "Hello?"

Suddenly, the blue Cybertronian two-wheeler burst into laughter, startling the boy. "June Darby and Knockout! If _that_ isn't a match made in the Well of Allsparks!"

"W-What are you talking about?" Jack stammered. "This is a serious problem!"

"Yeah, for Knockout! If he's got the embers for your mother, he's going to get a rude awakening in the manners department!"

"Emb- Wait, is that the Cybertronian way of saying 'hots'?!"

"Pretty much." Arcee chuckled. "Now, what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Just...tail them without them knowing and tell me what they do." Jack said.

"And what are you going to do?"

"Uh...something." Jack sighed. "Please, Arcee?"

She hesitated. Was this within her boundaries as a guardian? To stalk Jack's mother's love affairs for the sake of his curiosity? But...now that she thought about it, it piqued hers as well...she sighed. "Fine."

. . .

It was a brisk Wednesday morning. The sun was just starting to rise, giving the clouds on the horizon a pink and orange glow. Dew was fresh on the grass, coating nearly everything in tiny water droplets. A small breeze blew through, feeling quite refreshing to the duo walking down the street, particularly to Knockout. The adrenaline built up in him had made him hot, and his working out that morning didn't help, not at all.

June and Knockout walked side by side, going around the block, as June had promised. So far, it seemed to be helping the ex-'Con. But just walking wasn't going to help with Knockout's PTSD-induced trauma. So, trying to take his mind off of his nightmare, June began to strike up a conversation. "So...Knockout?"

"Yes?"

"What was Cybertron like?"

A small chuckle escaped the former Cybertronian's lips. "Well, that depends. To which part are we referring to? My planet, like yours, has various climates, you know. And I'll have you know that my planet is far larger than Earth."

"Okay...where were you from?" June asked.

"The city-state of Kalis." He replied. "Beautiful place, close to the _Mare Chryseis."_

"What's that?"

"A large sea of mercury that stretches for megamiles. Absolutely gorgeous on a clear day. It's like a mirror, much better at reflecting than the composition of this planet's oceans."

June smirked. "And I bet you would go there just for the best reflection to admire your paintjob."

"Naturally. Did you expect anything less?" Knockout asked.

June laughed. "No, of course not." She said cheerfully. Of course the vain Cybertronian would use a mirror lake as a literal mirror. "So, back to Kalis?"

"Ah, yes. Towards the north of Kalis is _Mare Chyseis._ And in the southwest, you can see the Main Divide, the mountains separating the Central region from the Western." 

"Wait, wait, wait." The nurse held up her hands. "You're telling me that Cybertron has _mountains?"_

Knockout scoffed. "And why wouldn't it? Nearly every planet in your entire solar system has mountainous regions."

"But...Cybertron's completely metal, right?"

"Before things grew on your planet, it was exclusively rock. Rock and metal are similar. So, yes, there are mountains."

June blinked. Well, this changed her perception. "I thought Cybertron was...built."

"What?!" Knockout looked stunned. "And what gave you that impression?!"

"Well...it's completely made of metal, isn't it? Metal's a refined substance, and-"

"No. Just stop right there." The ex-'Con said, holding up his hands. "Metal itself is _not_ a refined substance. There are metal ores on this planet, no doubt remnants of Unicron, which exists as your planet's core. Primus is the core of my planet. And when the two became planetary cores, the planets around them were constructed of their very CNA. Unicron's was chaotic, as the Chaos Bringer, and created all the manner of rock on this world, as well as mutating his own CNA into DNA, however accidental. Primus' CNA was organized, as he is the Order Bringer. His did _not_ mutate so far as to change chemical composition, and the planet that formed around him was made of a variety of metals found within his circuits. So, Cybertron, while metal, is as completely and naturally formed as Earth."

June was silent for a minute, taking it all in. Knockout's explanation made perfect sense. He seemed to be an authority on the subject, even.

"Anyways, as I was saying…" Knockout continued. "Kalis is near enough to have the scenery of both of those areas. The city itself is large, with multiple floors of roads on top of each other. The higher in caste you are, the more living quarter choices you have."

"Caste?"

"The very governmental system the Decepticons and Autobots were fighting against." 

June was confused. "Wait...the Decepticons fought _against_ the Autobots…because the Decepticons wanted control of Cybertron and Earth. Right?"

"It's quite a bit deeper than that, Mrs. Darby." Knockout explained, crossing his arms. "Before the Autobots and Decepticons were even a thought, the High Council governed all of Cybertron, and maintained order through the caste system. From the moment kindled in a protoform, a Cybertronian would be evaluated, based upon familial status, place of origin, or current employment at certain jobs, and assigned to a caste, which would be their job for life."

"Well that doesn't seem very fair…"

"Exactly. That's why Megatron and Optimus Prime went before the council. To appeal for the revokement of the caste system."

June nodded. She'd been told the rest, about the Matrix being handed to Optimus and Megatron's jealousy. "So...what caste were you?"

Knockout puffed out his chest slightly with pride. "I was from a skilled, wealthy, and influential family, so I was assigned to be in the medicine caste. Of course, that being tier three, I had a variety of other choices of study in my spare time."

"Wait, tier three?"

"The castes are separated in rank by tiers. The highest, tier one, has the nobility: the towersmecha, akin to a royal family, the senators of the council, some high-ranking religious figures, and the Primes. Tier two was the gentility, which you had to be kindled into to be part of: towers service, priesthood, politicians, state government, and towers-descended clades. Then there's tier three."

"Which you're from."

"Right. Tier three families are high-ranking because they earned it, and are kindled with innate skill."

No wonder he was so proud of his profession.

"In tier three, there's medicine, which I was in, formal arts, sciences, law, education, research, history, architecture, and engineering. I studied medicine and biological science mainly, but I dabbled a bit in history, research, architecture and engineering." He shook his head. "Law, formal arts, the other sciences, and education weren't really my style."

This was a lot for June to take in at once. Before, she'd just thought them to be living robots from another planet fighting for control. But she'd never dreamed they'd had such a complex governmental structure, professions, or anything like that. She looked at him in awe. "You know...you could make a book on that."

Knockout quirked an eyebrow.

"You know, about Cybertronian society." June explained. "Explaining the different aspects of Cybertron to us people on Earth who don't know a thing about it."

The medic put a hand to his chin. "I suppose I could...It would give me something to do…" He shook his head. "But what would be the point? The only humans to know of our existence are you, Agent Fowler-" he said _that_ name with disgust. "-the human children, and anyone still left of M.E.C.H."

June shuddered, remembering what M.E.C.H. had been capable of. And their goal was to understand Cybertronians. So why give them, if they still exist, what they ask for?

"Anyways, Mrs. Darby, we're here."

And so they were. They'd walked the entire block during the course of their conversation. Knockout looked at his hands. Still tingling, but not visibly shaking. He sighed, looking back toward the house. "I suppose I'd better take that shower you suggested." He walked inside to do just that.

June followed. Who knew that Knockout was so learned and intelligent? Any one of those subjects he studied would give him a paycheck higher than hers. And he knew multiple subjects! The nurse went over to her computer in the living room, opening it up to check her mail. Fortunately, no new medical reports to file. She was off-duty until Saturday, but she'd agreed to take and file any reports sent her way.

"Oh, Mrs. Darby?"

June turned around. Knockout was just about to enter the hallway. He gave a small smile. "Thank you for listening to me…"

June returned the smile. "You're welcome."


	12. Breaking Down

Knockout sat at the table, hair still wet from the shower. He frowned. That idea June had given him about making a book on Cybertronian studies kept gnawing at his mind. It certainly would be nice to flaunt his knowledge of the various subjects. But still, would it be worthwhile? Who would read it? The only ones that would have any sort of remote interest would be M.E.C.H., right? And they were long gone. The ex-'Con grit his teeth at the very memory of them. Not like he'd share his knowledge with the butchers who'd dissected Breakdown, anyhow. But they were dead, weren't they? He'd used the cortical psychic patch on the processor Silas...ahem, _Cylas,_ as he redubbed himself, had used to function. According to Cylas's memories, he'd killed his entire force, "preferring the company of titans". A waste of resources and forces, if you asked Knockout.

But making a book like that would give him a chance to relive memories from before the war, when he was a well-to-do medic at the top of his game. Doctor Knockout, medical expert, the pride of the Kalisian medical academy. He had the top percentages on every class, even the ones he took outside his caste. It couldn't hurt to document what he'd been taught.

His mind went to his home planet of Cybertron. He'd hoped to, once Kalis was rebuilt, have his own scientific lab to do what he pleased in. He would document all of his knowledge and discoveries for the refugees returning to Cybertron over the eons to use. But now that he was human...that wasn't even a dream anymore. Knockout sighed. He'd never get a chance to do that.

But...if he wrote that book, maybe Ratchet would transcribe it for him. He'd still have made some contribution to Cybertronian advancement, even though he wouldn't live to see it. He clenched his fists. This was yet another thing Shockwave had ruined. _My entire future._ He resisted the urge to hit the table. No doubt June would be mad if he did that, and now that he knew she had pepper spray, he was staying on the safe side. Regardless, his frustration boiled inside him, and he needed an outlet. But what?

 _Maybe I should take another walk…_

"Knockout, you were supposed to go to bed after your shower."

He turned to see June standing in the hallway, arms crossed. Knockout stood up. "Actually, Mrs. Darby, I was hoping I could go on another stroll around the block?"

"No. You, bed, now." She insisted.

"I can't possibly shutdown right now! I'm full of energy!"

"Oh really?" June walked away, coming back with a bottle labeled **EXTRA-STRENGTH MELATONIN** , and held it out to him. "Then take two of these."

"Melatonin…?"

"A chemical that makes you sleep."

Knockout backed away from her quickly. "Oh, no. You're not making me take stasis-inducers! I've had _bad_ experiences with those!"

"Then I suppose you're not as full of energy as you thought, hm?" June said smugly.

The former Autobot sighed in defeat. "Fine...I'll go to bed…" He reluctantly walked past her, going to his room.

June smiled cheerfully. "Goodnight, Knockout!"

. . .

Arcee was parked in the driveway of the Darby residence. So far, her spying on Knockout and June had proved fruitless, aside from the fact that she'd found out Knockout's level of status in Kalis. Being from a colony, she hadn't ever been to _Mare Chryseis_ , but she'd heard the large lake was beautiful. And Knockout had the privilege to be able to admire it daily! To be honest, Arcee was jealous of him.

The snap of a twig drew her from her thoughts, and her rearview mirrors swiveled suspiciously. Then she spotted a movement in the shadows of the fenceline. She turned her headlights on.

The person she'd caught was none other than her red-headed Autobot-turned-human subject of envy. She sighed. "Knockout. What are you doing?"

"Shh…!" He hissed. "Not so loud!"

She engaged Sadie's holoform and drove forward onto the grass, coming up close to Knockout. "Care to explain why you're hiding in the shadows?"

"To get away from Mrs. Darby. She's threatening me with stasis-inducers!"

"At this time of day?" Arcee frowned inwardly. "Never mind that. What are you doing out here?"

Knockout sighed. "I'm bored. I need something to do." He looked her over, contemplating, and put a hand on his chin. "Hmm...not bad…"

"What's not bad?" Arcee questioned.

"You overall. Coloring's nicely accented, finish could use a touch-up, but still decent, model and frame are sleek and aerodynamic...you'll do nicely."

"Nicely for what?"

He walked over, putting a hand on her leather seat, going through Sadie. "Mind taking me for a drive?"

Arcee's engine revved, making Knockout quickly draw back from the seat. There was a long pause.

"Fine."

Sadie disappeared, flickering out of existence. Grateful, Knockout climbed onto her. She vented harshly, and the medic raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

"No...you're just heavier than you look."

He chuckled. "I'm no twig like Jack, that's for certain. Let's roll."

Arcee quickly rolled onto the street, zooming down it and away from the house. "So...you and June, huh?"

"What?" Knockout asked, confused.

"Oh, don't play coy. Jack walked in and you were about to kiss her."

Blood rushed to Knockout's face. "I'm in no way attracted to Mrs. Darby, or _any_ human, for that matter. I was merely giving _Fowler_ a lesson or two in flirting."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really. And I'm confident that I did a pretty good job at it, too, considering that the she-human was about to kiss me after merely some sweet words."

"And what all did you say?"

"Oh, you know, this and that…"

Arcee chuckled. "Detailed explanation, doctor."

Knockout grinned. This was one of the many reasons he'd enjoyed the two-wheeler's company since his defection. "I presented her with roses, telling her they were the flower of June- which, mind you, they are. I told her, exactly, that her eyes were 'the most beautiful thing I have seen on this planet, mark my words'. I winked, gave her my nickname, silenced her with a mere finger, and had her let down her hair. And while that was down, I began telling Fowler everything he was doing wrong, getting a chance to show off my still-perfect human frame during the process. I think she had her eyes on me." He chuckled in amusement. "I asked her if she'd be mine to treasure, and leaned in for the finale, and...well, you know the rest."

The two-wheeler laughed. "You're quite the expert with words, aren't you? Practiced them before?"

His smile dampened a bit. "Once."

"Do you mind if I ask who?"

"A...partner of mine. Before the war. She was one of the first casualties…" He sighed, completely losing his former merriment. "Moonracer was the world…"

Arcee slowed a bit. "I know what it's like to lose a partner you really care about." She said quietly.

"Try two. Moonracer was first. Then Breakdown, at the hands of that wretch, Airachnid."

"You'd be surprised, but...I lost my first Amica Endurae to her, and then my second to Starscream."

Knockout frowned. "Seems our lots in life aren't too great from the start, hm…?" He asked, voice deeper than usual. Maybe it's because this was the first time she'd seen him so...sentimental. He'd never talked about his past with her before, nor had she hers with him. It had things in it neither wanted to relive.

"What was he like?"

Knockout raised a confused eyebrow. Arcee continued. "Breakdown. I saw him in battle, mostly, and I know he walked out on the Wreckers to join the 'Cons. But you knew him better. What was Breakdown like off duty?"

The tiniest of smiles pulled at the medic's lips. "Breakdown was...special. Never was assigned to a caste, that one. He told me that the first thing he remembered was being brought online by a Tarnian merchant family."

"So, he was a roamer."

"You could say that. As he got older, he said he was mostly assigned to bodyguard duty, until he joined up with the Wreckers. He got his hammer and everything there." Knockout was talking as if he had been there through Breakdown's early life. He and the ex-Wrecker must have talked a lot.

Like her and Cliffjumper.

"So, how'd you meet?"

"School. He couldn't get by on whatever scraps of credits the Wreckers got before the war, so he joined the Kalis Academy of Medicine and Science." Knockout chuckled at the memory. "Everyone was gossiping about the new 'special-forces-caste-looking' student who got high test scores. He sat by me once at midday refuel, and struck up a conversation. We'd been partners ever since."

Arcee thought about it for awhile. "So...why'd he end up leaving the Wreckers and joining the Decepticons?"

"Moonracer." The medic replied, clenching his fists. "She was his Conjunx Endura, fully sparkmerged to the core, binary echo bond completely stable. She was killed in an Autobot attack on the city."

"An Autobot raid?! But the Autobots didn't attack civilians!"

Knockout grit his teeth. "She wasn't a civilian. She was law enforcement. And she was killed defending a Decepticon-enlisted Vehicon miner."

Arcee went quiet. It was no wonder that Breakdown and Knockout held such loathing for the Autobots for so long… "But that wasn't the Wreckers. Why leave them?"

"He and I were both too enraged to have anything to do with the Autobots. And it just so happened that the Wreckers joined the Autobot side." Knockout closed his eyes. "Also...Moonracer was carrying."

Arcee screeched to a halt at this. "She was _what?!"_

"You heard me. Moonracer was carrying. Twins, even. Split spark, evenly broken."

"But she should have been taken off the active duty lists!"

Knockout laughed dryly. "Not the way it works when the Tier Ones hear about attacks and want to save their hides. She wasn't long enough carrying to be unhelpful. The younglings' sparks hadn't even detached from her own."

"Primus…" Arcee whispered. A carrying mother offlined in battle...defending a Vehicon that wouldn't be missed even if it had died… "I'm so sorry…"

The medic looked away. "Nothing you could have done to change it, anyways…"

. . .

"So, this is the infected body…"

"Yes, sir. Should I prepare to dispose of it?"

A human hand gently moved across the blue frame of the Cybertronian stretched out on the ground.

"No. Dispose of Leland Bishop, and purge the energon lines of this mutatious cocktail of chemicals."

"Yes, sir."


	13. Misinterpretation

As soon as Arcee pulled back into the driveway, she and Knockout were met with a very pissed-off looking June Darby. June marched off the porch, storming up to the duo, and glared daggers. "And what were you two doing?" She demanded.

"Just went out for a little drive, Mrs. Darby." Knockout replied. "You can't possibly expect me to shutdown in the middle of the day!"

"I can and I will! You _need_ rest! Especially after what happened last night!"

"What happened last night?" Arcee asked, an amused tone in her voice.

Knockout growled. "Nothing along the lines of what _you're_ thinking, two-wheeler. I had a nightmare is all."

"Nightmare, nothing!" June cut in. "You were up from three to six beating up a tree to burn off adrenaline! You were _shaking!_ And so traumatized that it wouldn't stop until I made you relax!"

Mischievousness aside, Arcee now spoke seriously. "Knockout? Traumatized? By what?"

The redhead tightened his grip on her handlebars. "Nothing you need to be concerned about." He glared sharply at June. "And I don't appreciate you flaunting my insecurities like a banner in one of your human parades. This is how you get me back for that Predacon bone incident, isn't it?" He said coldly, getting off the motorbike. "Or maybe, this is your idea of fun. Set out the Decepticon's weaknesses for everyone to see now that he's downgraded enough to not be able to shoot you."

The nurse's eyes widened. "That's not what I-"

"Shut it. I've had enough, _Mrs. Darby."_ Knockout stormed into the house, slamming the door behind him. He grabbed the bottle of melatonin tablets off the table and took two of them, going over and laying on the couch. He closed his eyes. _Humans...never know when to shut down their vocalizers...She just **had** to tell Arcee, didn't she…?_ Already, he could feel himself drifting off. The melatonin was doing its job well. He sighed. _I'll deal with this later...I expect a full apology from her. Otherwise, freckles, pepper spay, or not, her life will be a living Kaon pit._

. . .

June walked inside after sending Arcee back to Autobot HQ, feeling guilty. She hadn't meant to make him so upset. She'd just wanted to convince him that he needed what she was offering...but still, she shouldn't have confronted him in front of Arcee. It needlessly embarrassed him, and she couldn't blame him for getting mad about it.

Of course, this didn't mean she still wasn't mad about his sneaking out to go driving. But given what happened, maybe she was willing to forgive him.

Maybe.

June went to the fridge, getting herself an iced tea, and poured the contents into a cup. She took a sip. _Maybe I was being a little harsh…_ She thought. _He was just trying to get some air, after all_. Deciding to check up on him, she walked over to his room. Quiet as she could, she opened the door, and peeked in, only to find that her houseguest wasn't there. In fact, there wasn't even any indication he'd been there at all. Her eyes narrowed. _Play me for a fool, will you, Knockout?_ Anger rekindled, the nurse stormed down the hallway. She looked out the window. _My car's still there...he must have gone on foot._ She turned around, just about ready to call Agent Fowler and have him microchip the ex-'Con…

But she stopped.

There, on the couch, was her red-haired fugitive. Asleep, as she'd told him to be. She sighed in relief. For once, Knockout had listened to her. Her fury dissolving, the nurse walked over to the couch. "Knockout?" She asked softly.

There was no response. _He really is asleep…_ Giving a small smile, she reached out, her fingers tenderly brushing over his cheek. _I should give him melatonin more often. He's not usually this peaceful, looks or attitude._ She withdrew her hand. Her thoughts went back to the night prior.

 _"Now, Mrs. Darby...I was wondering...would you be mine to treasure…?"_

That night...all the things Knockout had said and done...all were sweeter than anything Jason Darby had ever done for her in a single instance. And yet, the former Cybertronian hadn't meant a bit of it.

 _Ping!_

June looked up. Her computer's inbox was showing on the screen, a new message having just popped up. Leaving Knockout to sleep on the couch, she walked over, clicking on the newest message.

 **FROM: AMANDA WHITEFORD**

 **SUBJECT: SHIFTS**

"I know what this is about…" June muttered. Amanda Whiteford was a nurse at Jasper Hospital, who worked alongside June often. The two were best friends, and often covered each other when things came up. That didn't mean that they always _liked_ to, however…

 **Hey, June. My friend Marcy's mother just came into town, and she wants to treat her to dinner. She wants me to watch her kids. Is it okay if you cover my shift?**

The woman sighed. She really didn't like leaving Knockout alone in the house, especially given what had just happened. And Amanda's shift was from 2:30 to 11:30, meaning she'd have to leave at two. She glanced at her houseguest.

Knockout was still sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the world around him. June turned back to the computer.

 **FROM: JUNE DARBY**

 **SUBJECT: Re: SHIFTS**

 **Hey, Amanda. It's fine. I'll cover you tonight, no problem. Have fun babysitting THOSE children.**

She hit the send button, and went to go press her uniform. _It'll be fine..._ she thought. _Jack doesn't have work on Wednesdays, anyways. He'll get home at four. How much can Knockout get into in two hours?_

. . .

At two o'clock, June was all set to leave, uniform pressed and on, purse in hand. She took a minute to write a quick note to Knockout, leaving it on the armrest of the couch, then left.

The sound of the door closing was enough to wake the sleeping ex-'Con. Knockout sat up, stretching and yawning. He rubbed his eyes. _How long was I sleeping…?_ He turned to look at the clock, and noticed the paper June had left for him. He picked it up.

 _Left for the hospital, something came up. Won't be back until midnight. Jack's school ends at 3:30, and he gets home at 4:00. Help yourself to anything in the fridge._

 _-June_

Knockout's eyes widened. "Hospital…?!" Jumping to his feet, he ran outside. "Arcee!" He shouted as soon as the door was opened.

There was no response. The driveway was empty. Muttering a string of curses, the former Cybertronian darted back inside and grabbed the phone. He dialed a very long number, one that shouldn't be able to be coded by normal means.

One that just so happened to be the number for Smokescreen's comm link.

 _Riiiing! Riiiing!_

"Come on, Smokescreen, pick up…" Knockout said anxiously.

 _Riii-_

 _"Yello? This is Smokescreen!"_

"Smokescreen, this is Knockout."

 _"Wait, are you calling me from a human phone?!"_

"Obviously. I don't have a comm link!" Knockout replied bitterly.

The response was immediate. _"Right, sorry, sorry! What'cha need?"_

"I need you to come down to Mrs. Darby's house." The ex-'Con said seriously. He knew that Smokescreen knew the way- he'd heard from Cylas that the rookie escorted Jack home, back during Knockout's time with the Decepticons.

 _"Wow, she's still got you calling her that? Harsh."_

"NOW, Smokescreen!"

 _"Okay, okay. I'll be there in two kliks...can I ask why you need me?"_

Knockout frowned. "I'll tell you when we're en route."

 _"We?"_

"Yes. _We."_


	14. Worries Over Nothing

"Wait, _what?!"_

Knockout looked out Smokescreen's window. "She left me a note saying something came up, and she'd be at the hospital. What else could it mean?!"

"I don't know...I just think she would have woken you up if she'd been injured somehow…" Smokescreen replied.

"No, that's not like her. She detests me, and wouldn't want to bring me out in public, hurt or not."

"Then...why are you following her?" The Autobot rookie asked. When Knockout didn't reply, he grinned inwardly. "I get it...you're worried! You're actually worried about June Darby!"

"Don't delusion yourself." Knockout growled. "I'm still upset with her."

"Ooh, why?"

He clenched his fists. "I...had a traumatic incident...and she scolded me about it in front of Arcee."

Smokescreen winced. "Ouch. Harsh, even from her. You sure she did it on purpose, though?"

"Does it matter? She hates me anyways." The redhead crossed his arms.

"Well...if you guys mutually hate each other, why are you so anxious to see if she's okay?"

In truth, Knockout didn't know why. By all means, he should let her hospitalize herself, get her out of his hair. But something about the whole situation still worried him. Had he...let himself grow attached to her?

 _No._ He decided. _I couldn't care less about her._ "She's the one who buys things for me to eat and wear. And she covers up my freckles."

"Oh, _that's_ what the human rust is called?"

"It's not rust!" He exclaimed. He then tapped the drive shift. "Can't you go any faster? I thought you were a speed model." 

Smokescreen sighed. "I'd love to go faster, but I got a passenger. And I can't exactly get you out of jail, y'know."

Knockout groaned, laying back in the seat. "I wish I still had my vehicle mode…"

"If you did, we wouldn't even be in this situation."

"Oh, shut up."

An agonizing five _slow_ minutes later, Smokescreen parked beside June Darby's car. "Looks like she's already in." He commented. "I don't see blood on the ground or anything, though. So...she's okay?"

"Is spilled energon always the only indicator of injury?" Knockout retorted. "No? Good. Then leave me to my own reasoning." He got out of his fellow Autobot's vehicle mode. "Stay here until I come back, alright?"

"Fine…" The rookie replied with a sigh.

Knockout wasted no time in running inside the hospital's emergency area. He went to the front desk, where a young human male sat, typing on a computer. He looked up. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, you can." The former Cybertronian said. "I'm looking for a Mrs. June Darby."

The desk attendant typed something into the primitive technology. "June Darby...she's on floor three."

"What room?"

"You'll have to ask the desk up there. She's constantly changing."

 _Constantly changing rooms? Surgery, perhaps?!_ Knockout gave a quick nod. "Thank you." He ran for the elevator, darting inside and practically mashing the F3 button. He paced inside the moving room as it rose, ignoring the slight nausea that rising gave. "Come on, come on…" He muttered impatiently, wishing it to go faster. When the door finally opened, he bolted, his shoes screeching as they skidded to a halt before the desk. Knockout peered over the white countertop, only to find nobody there. His forehead hit the desk. "Incompetent understaffed human hospital…!" He growled in frustration. "Why must these circumstances happen now of all times…?!"

"Knockout?!"

At that voice, Knockout jumped. He spun around. "Mrs. Darby!"

June stood in the hallway between the rooms and the desk, fully clad in her pale blue nurse uniform. Her blue eyes were both disbelieving and furious, her gaze penetrating Knockout to his very spark- no, _soul._ "Why are you _here?!"_ She hissed.

"I should be asking you the same thing." Knockout said, crossing his arms. "You left with no explanation, _without_ informing me, save that organic excuse for a piece of a datapad. All you said was that you were going to the hospital- _Why?!"_ Without waiting for a reply, he stormed over to her. June suddenly felt very small before him. "For all I knew, you could have been dying! And then when the attendant downstairs said you were constantly moving around, that seemed to _confirm_ my suspicions!"

"Knockout-"

"No, don't _'Knockout'_ me, tell me why you're here!" He demanded.

Collecting herself, June looked up at him, putting her hands on her hips. "I _work_ here, Knockout. I got called in to substitute for a friend of mine. Now, the 'Why' aside... _how_ did you get here?"

"Smokescreen took me." Knockout replied.

The nurse sighed. "Well, now that that's over, you should go n-"

"OH MY GOSH!"

Both of them turned at the feminine squeal of enthusiasm. The desk attendant- a woman by the name of Emily, if her nametag was correct- had returned, and was staring with a big grin on her face. June groaned.

"I can't believe it!" Emily exclaimed. "You _finally_ did it, Juney!"

"Juney?" Knockout chuckled in amusement.

"Juney" flushed in embarrassment, then crossed her arms. "Emily, enough." 

Emily shook her head in protest. "No way! I can't believe it! This is cause for celebration!" She practically _jumped_ over the counter, running up to Knockout. "Hi! I'm Emily! But you can call me Em! What's your name? Where you from? What's your favorite food? What's your blood type? Can you speak other languages? What's your job? How much do you make? Do you like drinking? Can you-MMPH!" She was cut off as June covered her mouth with a hand, the nurse's earlier blush a bright red that reminded Knockout of his paintjob.

The ex-'Con looked at the desk attendant strangely. "Mrs. Darby, who's this...Em?"

"My...coworker." June said.

Emily pushed June's hand off her mouth and grinned like an idiot. "Well? Gonna answer me?" She asked anxiously, before her "coworker" clamped a hand over her mouth again.

Knockout chuckled. "What's the harm in telling her?" He said, before beginning to answer the questions in order. "I'm Knockout, from the city-state of Kalis. My favorite food, so far, is macaroni. I have no idea what my blood type is. I actually _do_ speak other languages- seven, in fact." At this, even June was surprised. "My job was as a field medic in a war that has since ended, I made enough to get by, I suppose, but not nearly as much as when I was a surgeon. And...drinking?" He looked confused at that.

Emily once again pulled away from June's hand. "Ooooh! Right! If you're from some other country, you might not know that term! Drinking means drinking alcohol! Getting drunk! Your mind goes koo-koo, and it feels REALLY good!"

"Until the morning after…" June muttered.

"Ah. I'm familiar with that, yes." He smiled. "I tend to have an occasional glass or two nowadays."

The nurse gave him an odd and suspicious look, as if to ask _Really?_ , and her friend's grin widened even more. "Good! June, Knockout- cool name, by the way- tonight, I'm coming over to celebrate! And we're getting drunk until we can't even speak!" She glanced at the clock. "Shift's up! See you tonight!" And with that, she ran off.

June groaned. "Dear God, why did you have to come here, Knockout?"

Knockout smirked. "Well, I've never been referred to as a _god_ before, but-"

"It's a figure of speech! And now Em's jumping to conclusions!" She sighed. "Just...go home, alright? I'll be back at midnight. And hopefully, I'll have cleared things up by then." She pushed Knockout over to the door, shoving him into the elevator.

Knockout, at the moment, couldn't care less. He was going to get free high grade that night. A smile lit his features, even as the door closed.

It had been a long time since he'd been over-energized.

. . .

Knockout walked over to Smokescreen, and got in. The racecar didn't hesitate to question him. "Was she there?"

"Yes."

"Was she hurt?"

"No."

"Then why was she there?"

"She's a nurse."

"Why do you have that grin on your face?"

Silence.

"Do I even want to know?"

"Nope."

Just then, Smokescreen's commlink flared to life, blasting in his speakers. _"Arcee to Smokescreen. Come in."_

"What's up, Arcee?" Smokescreen replied, momentarily forgetting his redheaded passenger.

 _"Got caught in traffic. Can you pick up Jack for me?"_

"No problem. Smokescreen out." The racecar began to drive, backing out of the hospital parking lot and hitting the road. His rearview mirror caught sight of the scowl on his passenger's face. "What?

Knockout crossed his arms. "You just agreed to pick up Jack."

"So?"

"With me still in your alt mode."

There was a long pause.

"Scrap."


	15. The Better Side

"You could drop me off back at the Darby residence…"

"No way. Jack's already been waiting fifteen minutes. Arcee'll have my head if it's any longer!"

Knockout huffed, crossing his arms. "Well, don't expect me to go fetch the boy. I'm no helper-bot."

Smokescreen chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it, Knocks. He'll recognize me when we park."

They pulled into the parking lot of the school, stopping in front of the sidewalk. Smokescreen turned off the majority of his systems, making it seem like he was, in fact, a powered-down car. His mirrors, however, flitted around, looking for the boy he was sent to pick up. "Huh...that's odd…" Smokescreen commented.

"What's odd?" Knockout asked.

"Jack's not here. He's usually waiting at the curb, if my past few times picking him up are anything to go by."

"Hm…" The redhead looked around, red eyes searching for the teenage boy. When he found him, his fists clenched.

Across the school yard, Jack was cornered against the wall, a carrot-top teenager towering over him. The black-haired boy frowned. "Vince, really, it's not that big of a deal…"

"Backing down _again_ , Darby?" Vince replied, shoving him. "What is _wrong_ with you? I thought you were a man."

"Just because I won't race you doesn't mean I'm not a man." Jack mumbled. "Now let me go. I have to get home."

Vince glared at him. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a loser, Darby. And that's what you are." He raised his hand to hit the boy.

Suddenly, a hand clasped around his wrist, stopping his movement and clenching painfully. "Is there a problem here?" An accented voice asked, venomous anger thick in his tone. Vince's green eyes looked over his shoulder.

Grabbing his was an adult, mid-30s, maybe, with scarlet hair and terrifyingly red eyes that appeared to glow, even mid-daylight. Vince wrenched his hand away. "Beat it, I'm busy."

"Busy tormenting my boy?" The redhead replied. "I'd much rather beat _you."_

Vince stared. "Y-You're Darby's dad?" He stammered. "But...but his mom's-"

"Divorced? I'm well aware." Knockout seethed. He shoved the ginger, causing him to stumble backward. "Jackson Darby is under _my_ care. If you want to pick a fight, be my guest. But...I heard that's not how you settle things, is it, Vincent?" He said, tone of voice almost daring Vince to say something. "You're a racer. Isn't that right?"

"Yeah...yeah, that's right." Vince said, collecting himself and replacing the guise of macho he wore. "You and me, red. Sunday night. Know the place?"

"Been there several times." Knockout replied, a dangerous grin gracing his features. "Be careful. The last racer to anger me ended up on the wrong side of a cliff."

If Vince was nervous, he hid it well, considering the display he'd shown not two minutes ago. He glanced towards Jack. "Your old man better win, Darby. Both of you are on the line this time." With that, the carrot-topped bully walked past them, shouldering Knockout aside as he did so.

Jack gaped at his rescuer with wide eyes. "K-Knockout…?! What are you doing here?!"

"Hmph. Hardly a thank you." The redhead muttered, crossing his arms. "Here I am, going out of my way to save your hide from being pummeled by that race pro wanna-be, going so far as to take you as my charge, and all you can do is mimic your mother. What I'm 'doing here' is picking you up from school. Arcee hit traffic, and I was with Smokescreen. Now, let's go. You and I have a project to do when we get home." He grabbed Jack by the shoulder and dragged him over to his fellow Autobot, pushing the boy into the passenger side seat and getting in driver-side.

"Wait, what project?!" Jack asked. "Why would I do anything with you, anyways?!"

"Because I told you to. Your mother's working, and I'm the adult in the house, so therefore, I am in charge." Knockout retorted.

Jack huffed, turning away, but thankfully didn't argue further.

Smokescreen flared to life, driving out of the school lot. "Wow, Knockout…"

"I know. I'm quite the mature adult, aren't I?" Came the smug reply.

"No, I mean back there! With Vince! He just about fried his circuits when you came up to teach him a lesson!"

Knockout chuckled. "What can I say? I still got it."

"Yeah, I know!" Smokescreen replied. "But why'd you go in to save Jack? Thought you said you weren't gonna go 'fetch him'?"

"I'm right here…" Jack mumbled crossly.

Knockout ignored the boy, smile vanishing. "That's none of your business, Smokescreen."

"Oh, really? Based on all the stuff _I've_ seen, plus what Arcee told me...It seems like you're trying to win points with June!"

"NO!" Both Knockout and Jack shouted at the same time, loud enough to leave Smokescreen's audio receptors ringing.

The rookie internally winced. "Okay, okay...yeesh…" He said, letting the topic go. Though, to himself, he would always have his suspicions.

Smokescreen pulled into the Darby driveway, and opened his doors. "Alright, last stop. Everybody out."

Jack and Knockout got out, and Smokescreen beeped in farewell, shutting his doors and zooming off. He couldn't wait to tell Arcee the new development in the June/Knockout romance saga.

Jack looked up at the ex-'Con. "So...what exactly are you having me do, now?"

"Get in something that you don't care if it gets stained." Knockout said, looking up at the house. "We're having a field day."

. . .

It was midnight. June had just finished Amanda's shift, had gotten herself a cup of coffee from the local 24-hour café, and was headed home. She sighed. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to dissuade Emily from coming over with her alcohol to binge on. Which meant that as soon as she got home, she'd have to rush to clean house. Not that Emily cared. Which made it all the more frustrating.

She pulled into the driveway, downing the rest of her coffee. Throwing her cup away in the outside trash, she took a deep breath. "Now...to survey the damage the boys caused." She turned the doorknob and entered, prepared for the worst.

What she saw nearly made her return to the hospital- as a _patient._

The floors were scrubbed to the point where they shone, the table was completely clean, the kitchen devoid of trash, dinner mess, or even dirty dishes. Everything in the house- no matter which room she looked; Her own, Knockout's, the laundry room, **_Jack's_** room -each had everything clean and in its place. Even all the laundry was done, folded neatly and placed in baskets. To say that June Darby was amazed would have been the understatement of the century.

It had been _years_ since her house looked this nice.

In the living room, she found the ones responsible for the state of her home, and smiled. Knockout and Jack were on the couch, the latter leaning against the former's shoulder, the two having evidently fallen asleep watching television. Both were dressed in "scrap clothes"- Jack was wearing torn jeans and a stained shirt, and Knockout was back in those whites he'd arrived in, both ensembles showing fresh stains. Quickly as she could, she pulled out her phone and snapped picture. Her smile widened. _This one's a keeper!_ That done, she stepped up to the two and shook their shoulders. "Hey...Jack, Knockout, wake up…"

Jack groaned. "Five more minutes, mom…" He mumbled.

Knockout didn't even grace her with words, just giving a sort of tired grunt.

June chuckled. "Well...I suppose I could let you sleep some more...you two _do_ look so _adorable_ snuggling on the couch _together…"_

Instantly, the two boys were wide awake, and backed away from each other as if they had the plague. June laughed at their antics.

Jack frowned at her. "I'm goin' to bed…"

"Exactly what I was going to suggest…" Knockout said. The two boys got up to leave, but the elder of them was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Knockout, aren't you forgetting something?'

The redhead turned around to look at the woman. "I don't think so…"

"We're having a guest tonight, remember?" The nurse said.

Knockout's eyes widened, and a grin appeared on his face. "That's right. That nice friend of yours is bringing over free high-grade." He paused. "By the way, Jack and I cleaned the house for you. I reasoned that you'd want it to be at its best when your friend came over."

She smiled brightly. "Yes, I noticed...thank you, Knockout."

He stared at her in disbelief for a long second, before his smile returned, completely genuine and sincere. "You're welcome, Mrs. Darby."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. June grabbed Knockout's shoulders and turned him around, then pushed him. "Go! Get dressed in something presentable! I'll handle Em!"

Knockout nodded, and darted down the hall and into his room. June took a deep breath, went to the front door, and opened it.

She nearly passed out then and there.

Standing at the door was not only Emily, but _three others_ as well. Emily smiled. "Hiya Juney!" She said. She gestured to a cooler on wheels she was leading. "I brought the booze!"


	16. Lost Inhibitions

June stared at the party at her door for what seemed like a full minute. "Em…" She said slowly. "You said you were coming over. You _didn't_ say that you were bringing _company."_

Emily grinned. "Juney, Juney, Juney...I thought you knew me by now! And I _never_ go drinking without Kayla and Miranda! And of course, Mark's gotta be the DD."

The dark-haired nurse sighed. "Come in, then…"

Emily walked in with her group, setting the cooler on the floor by the counter. Kayla, a ginger woman with round glasses, looked around. "Em, you said June got hooked up! Where's the lucky guy?"

"I did _not_ get hooked up!" June protested. "He's just staying over!"

"Mmmhmm…" Miranda said, elbowing her. "Of course he is. A full-grown man, staying over, who apparently has an amazing background, and, according to Em, is complete eye-candy."

June blushed flusteredly. "He most definitely is not eye-candy!"

"Oh? What's he look like?"

"Why don't you wait for him to get dressed and come out, so you can see for yourself?" June said in irritation. With the devious looks thrown her way, she quickly regretted her choice of words.

"Wow, June." Mark said casually, sitting on the edge of the counter. He shook his head. "Dissing his looks, saying you're not together, then admitting you both slept? Cold, June, cold."

"We did _not!"_ June exclaimed. "He cleaned house while I was at work before your... _riff raff_ came out here to drink!"

"Aw…" Emily looked crestfallen. "I can just imagine the little baby running around...don't ruin my dreams, Juney!"

 _"Your_ dreams?!" The nurse asked incredulously. Shaking her head, she sighed. "Enough of this. Let's just get to drinking already…" In fact, a nice drink was sounding more and more appealing to get rid of this embarrassingly awkward conversation. "Soda's in the fridge, Mark."

Mark nodded, and went to get himself a Coca-Cola. Emily opened the cooler. "Alright, let's get this party started!" She exclaimed.

"Without me? I'm insulted, dear lady."

All heads turned in the direction of the hallway. Leaning against the doorframe was none other than Knockout, fully clad in "his style"- the F1 pilot pants, white collared shirt, and red vest he insisted upon wearing. Though, contrary to the norm, his hair was brushed carefully, and he'd managed to successfully put on his concealer _without_ June's help.

Mark whistled. "Seems I've got competition as the hottest tonight."

"Seems you do." Knockout replied with a smirk, walking over to the rest of the group. "Hello, ladies."

Miranda blushed and giggled, and Kayla faked a swoon. The latter elbowed June. "Why are you denying him?" She whispered. "He's _hot!"_

"Is not!" June hissed back.

Emily popped the cooler open. "What'll it be, Knockout?" She asked. "Beer? Whiskey? Vodka? I got varieties!"

"His name is _Knockout…?!"_ Mark whispered, stunned. Kayla fangirled. "It totally fits! Doesn't it, Miranda?!" She said, but shot a small warning glance to Mark. The dark-haired man straightened up with a nod.

Knockout looked at the selection. "I'll take that." He said, pointing to the whiskey.

Emily grinned. "A guy who likes it strong. I like that." She picked up a bottle of whiskey and tossed it to him.

As the ex-'Con opened his drink, June groaned. It was hard enough dealing with Knockout when he was sober...who knows how ornery he could be when intoxicated?

"Want one, June?"

The girls were all looking at her expectantly. She sighed. "I'll take...a shot."

. . .

If there was one thing June Darby _could_ do, it was hold her liquor. She'd only taken one shot of bourbon whiskey initially. But after that, she'd found herself craving the stuff, so she'd ended up mixing herself a Mint Julep...or two. She could feel the buzz of the alcohol, but she was nowhere near as drunk as Em and her friends.

Knockout, on the other hand, had somehow downed an entire bottle of Scotch without so much as blinking. As such, he was, as he said himself, "overcharged off his tailpipe".

As it turned out, the ex-'Con was a "Mary Poppins" drunk- he got happier and more open when he drank. That said, he was currently uncharacteristically charismatic at the moment.

"This place isn't so bad, really." He said, speaking with Em and company. "Not too bad with the music, films in theaters tend to be well-made, and the automobiles are fantastic! _Especially_ that Aston Martin Rapide S." He took another swig from his second bottle of whiskey. "What I wouldn't give to be behind the wheel of one of _those_ again."

"You had an Aston Martin?!" Miranda exclaimed in shock. "Ya know how expensive those are?!"

"Of course. And I didn't _have_ one. I _was_ one!"

"Oh really?" Mark said with a smirk, no doubt finding the intoxicated man amusing.

Knockout nodded. "Sleek model, red paint, yellow accents, white decals...best model ever in my opinion."

"So, Knockout, where ya from?" Kayla asked with a sly grin.

"Long long ways away!" Knockout said, gesturing with his hands. "Another planet, even! Called Cybertron!"

"Cybertron?"

"Oh, yes. The place was beautiful before the war, and is just now coming back around!" Another sip of whiskey. "And my hometown was the top of the top, all things considered, especially in the field of medical science." He chuckled. "I was one of those students that excelled in every class I was given, even those outside my caste." He looked at them all. "Y'know, a lot of you humans don't realize how lucky you are to choose your own profession. Back on my planet, everyone had a job assigned the moment they were kindled."

"You humans, huh?" Mark said, smirk growing ever-wider. "So you're saying you're an alien?"

Knockout stiffened. "That is _such_ a derogatory term, young man! I prefer the term Cybertronian, thank you." He leaned against the wall. "Y'know, when I first came here, I couldn't stand the place. All the dust and dirt and organic scrap. Ruining my perfect red paint every time."

Emily giggled at the "supposed alien's" ramblings. "And what changed your mind?"

"First it was the automobiles." The ex-'Con said. "I simply _had_ to have one. Much better than my original vehicle. Then the drive-in theaters tended to be entertaining. Then I discovered street racing." He grinned, flashing his pearly white, perfectly straight teeth. "Best time of my life."

"What about 'us humans'?" Miranda asked.

"Ah. Your race still has plenty of things I find disturbing." Knockout said. "Divorce, hit and runs, monster truck rallies…" He shuddered. "How can you stand to watch innocent and well-modeled cars be destroyed like that?! But...there are a select few humans I find bearable."

"Like Juney?" Emily said with a devious smile.

"Precisely." Knockout responded.

June, who had been listening in this whole time, felt a small blush rise to her cheeks, which was not induced by alcohol. She facepalmed. _Note to self._ She thought. _When drunk, Knockout has no filter._

"In fact, she's the only human on this planet I consider attractive in multiple aspects."

 _No filter at ALL._

Emily laughed. "Am I supposed to consider that offensive?" She said cheerfully, taking a gulp of her beer. "Or take that as confirmation you two are an item?"

"Oh, no, we're not together." Knockout replied. "Not _yet,_ anyways. She's awfully good at resisting my charm."

June looked at her empty cup of Mint Julep. _I need another drink...this is getting too crazy for me…_ She got up and went to the kitchen, grabbing another bottle of bourbon and getting her mint syrup, along with a cup of ice.

"What are you doing?"

She turned around. Knockout was looking at her curiously. Not in his usual, condescending way, but like a lost puppy. "Making myself a Mint Julep." She replied, turning back to her drink. "Hopefully to get myself drunk enough to forget the nonsense you're spewing."

"Nonsense?! What do you mean by that?!" He exclaimed, offended.

"Oh, you know." She poured the syrup into the cup. "Cybertronian things, why you hate Earth, how you supposedly like me." She added the whiskey and ice, and stirred it together.

"But I _do_ like you!" Knockout replied, hurt.

June sighed, turning around with her drink, and walking up to him. "Go home, Knockout. You're drunk." With that, she pushed him aside, and returned to her comfy spot on the loveseat.

Knockout stood confused for a moment. "But...aren't I home right now…?" After a few long minutes of thinking, he realized what she had said. "Hey, wait a minute!"

"Oi, Knockout!" Emily said, darting up to him. "I know how to get her attention!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah! You just..." Her voice trailed off into whispers as she leaned to speak in his ear.

June frowned. Nothing _ever_ went well when Em whispered.

"Well, I don't see why I shouldn't try it…"

And nothing _ever_ went well with Knockout involved. Period.

June sighed, choosing to try and drown herself in alcohol while she still could. She closed her eyes, and brought the cold cup to her lips.

Suddenly, something warm wrapped around her shoulders. She opened her eyes, and looked up.

Her Mint Julep nearly fell from her hand.

Knockout had sat next to her on the loveseat, and wrapped an arm around her. But...he was _shirtless._ He'd discarded his vest and shirt, no doubt under Emily's direction. Sure, she'd seen him shirtless once before, but that was when he was in need of medical attention, and she was in medic-mode. She hadn't once taken a minute to really appreciate the view. And, as much as she hated to admit it, he was something to look at...he was perfectly proportioned, well built, toned enough to be a model if he wanted...but he was no Ken doll. He had his rugged bits too...his hair, which had once again become somewhat wild; his eyes with their slight slant; his squared cheekbones that came to his chin smoothly…

June shook her head. The alcohol was _not_ having the effect she'd wanted it to. She tried to push his arm away, but it remained firmly in place, held there by his strength alone. Or perhaps her lack of strength at the moment. "Knockout, let me go."

He gave a small frown. "Really, Mrs. Darby…? But I hadn't even-"

"Let _go!"_

Reluctantly, the ex'-Con withdrew his arm. June shivered at the unwelcome cold of his absence. She looked at Knockout to see his reaction.

She should not have looked.

The drunken former Cybertronian had the look of a kicked puppy: hurt, adorable, and horribly guilt-tripping. His ruby eyes looked up at her sadly, as if pleading. Which, she reasoned, they probably were.

But no matter how she reasoned with herself, it wasn't enough to withstand Knockout's appeal to her softer side. She sighed. "If it really means that much to you…"

Knockout didn't need any further prompting. He instantly brightened, returning the duo to their original position. June found herself relaxing now that the cold of the house was replaced by his presence.

 _It must be the alcohol that's making me act like this…_

"What do you want, Knockout?" She asked, her voice only slightly above a whisper.

"What makes you think I want anything other than your company?" Knockout replied, his free hand moving to stroke her dark hair.

"Because I know you." She said. "You never do anything if you could do more. You always have an ulterior motive. That's how you are. A 'Con."

June expected him to be a bit hurt, maybe to back off of his own accord, or get mad enough to end this drunken fantasy he was playing through. But to her complete surprise, the redhead chuckled. "Guilty as charged." He said, untying her ponytail. "By the way, I meant it last time. You really should wear your hair down more often."

June blushed, but shook it off. "Get to the point. Why are you doing this?"

"Because I don't like leaving things unfinished…" He gave a smile. "And I believe I left something undone last night."

"Last night?" The nurse asked confusedly.

His smile widened. "You don't remember?" He leaned in closer. "Allow me to remind you." The hand that had undone her hair tie moved to cup her cheek.

June's eyes widened, her memory of the night prior returning to her tipsy mind.

 _"Now, Mrs. Darby…" Knockout continued. "I was wondering...would you be mine to treasure…?"_

 _June was at a loss for words. The redhead was moving in closer, her heart was pounding, she was blushing like no tomorrow, and it looked like he was going to kiss her...him...kissing her...her beating heart fluttered ever more wildly, only a few millimeters separating the two, and then-_

Her recollection was cut short as a pair of soft lips pressed to hers, touching gently, yet possessively. June froze. Should she go with it? Should she fight back? Push him away? Or enjoy it? Surely, this was the alcohol gone to his head...would he hate her in the morning for it? Never speak to her again?

For some reason, she didn't want that result...she shouldn't have cared, but she did...but he wasn't relenting. If anything, he was waiting, to see her response to his advance.

She should have pushed him away.

She should have told him to go to bed.

She should have left him there.

She should have- _but she didn't._

Her eyes closed, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing back passionately. It was something she needed, she realized. Something she'd been craving all these years. And even if it would only be until morning, she needed someone bigger than her, stronger than her, to depend on.

 _So to hell with the rules. We're both drunk. And I'll be damned if I don't enjoy it._

. . .

"I'm telling you, it's the real deal this time." Mark said on the phone. "Kayla and I are here with Emily, Miranda, June, and Knockout...staying at June's house...no. They think it's the talk of a drunkard...he seems to have feelings for his chaperone...understood. Goodbye, sir." He hung up.

"Who ya talkin' to?"

Mark jumped, spinning around. Emily was leaning against the counter, her fourth shot of Vodka in hand. She looked at him with curious, glazed brown eyes.

 _Play it cool, Marcus._ "Nobody. Just my roommate. He was wondering where I was."

"You call yer roomie 'sir'?" Emily laughed, snorting.

Mark quickly thought of an excuse. "He's an ex-Marine. Thinks anyone younger than him should be really respectful." _Damn, this girl is perceptive, even when drunk!_

"Oh, I getcha." Emily replied. She pulled out her phone and held it up for him to see. "Ya gotta see these pics I shot of Juney and Knockout!"

Mark smiled. "I would love to, Em." _Whew. She bought it._


	17. Reminiscence

_The_ Mare Chryseis _shone bright on that clear, sunny day. It was nearly blinding to look at without solar optic shields._

" _Jofy?"_

 _Knockout turned to his left. Moonracer sat beside him, admiring the seaside view. Her blue optics looked distant, focused on something Knockout couldn't see. "Do you ever wonder what's out there?"_

" _Out there?" He replied, confused. "What do you mean?"_

" _You know...past Kalis. Past Iacon. Somewhere unexplored, untouched by Cybertronian servos."_

 _Knockout shrugged. "Not really. I'm content where I am. I have a good job, a family, and a high pay."_

" _But doesn't it get...boring?" Moonracer asked. "Doing the same thing, day after day?"_

 _He thought about it for a good minute. "I suppose it does…"_

" _Jofy, what's your dream in life?"_

 _That question caught him completely unawares. "My dream?"_

" _Yeah. Your goal. What do you want to achieve before your deactivation?"_

 _Her blue optics were no longer watching some unseeable force, but were now focused on his own, staring intently, waiting for his response. He pondered the question. "I'm not sure...my future's set for my existence, isn't it? What would be the point in wanting something else?"_

" _Forget how your future's set. Forget the caste system, the city boundaries, the council." Moonracer said. "If you could do anything, anywhere, what would it be?"_

" _I...suppose...I'd just want to make an impact."_

" _An impact?"_

 _Knockout nodded. "Make a difference notable enough to be in the archives. So that people remember my name, even when I'm out of commission." He paused. "What about you?"_

 _Moonracer looked up. "I want to explore somewhere. A new planet. Maybe even start a Cybertronian colony."_

" _Oh?" Knockout quirked a smile. "Tell me about the famous Moonracer Colony."_

" _I wouldn't call it that, you monkey wrench!" She giggled, playfully punching his arm._

" _Hey, watch the paint!" He protested, but his amused smile remained._

 _Moonracer laughed, her cheerful voice echoing across the empty coastline. Knockout rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, hilarious. Let's get back to the topic, shall we?"_

" _Of course. Where was I again?" She asked innocently._

" _Your dream colony's name?" He replied. "What were you going to call it?"_

" _I think I'd call it...Velocitron." Moonracer smiled brightly. "Designed specifically for you."_

" _Me?"_

" _It'll be a racing planet, Jofy! No speed limits, everything's decided by races, everyone's aerodynamic! You'd love it!"_

 _Knockout chuckled. "I believe I would."_

 _Moonracer sighed dreamily. "But really, I'd just be content to find another planet. One with new places, new people, even if they weren't Cybertronian. That's my dream. To explore."_

Knockout's eyes didn't open as the dream ended. He was awake, but his eyes remained shut in remembrance. _Moonracer…_ It was a sweet memory, but her absence turned it bitter for him.

His grasp on reality returned. She had died. He had been the one to go exploring, not her. Moonracer had never left Kalis.

She'd never been given the opportunity.

Knockout didn't want to wake up. He wanted to go back to sleep, to see Moonracer again. But it's very hard to go back to sleep after waking from a dream, especially one that has an emotional impact. He sighed, giving up, and instead lay there, taking in his surroundings.

The AC was on. A few creaks signified that the house was shifting. Through an open window somewhere closeby, he could hear birds chirping, a sign of morning's presence, but not when. He'd heard birds as early as four in the morning before. However, the dark that surrounded him made it clear that it was still very early. He was aware of something against his chest, warm and strangely welcome. He opened his eyes.

His chest was bare, missing his shirt and vest. He was laying on the couch, on his side, his arm wrapped around none other than June Darby. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head. _How did she get here?! What exactly happened last night?!_ He wanted to pull his hand back, but her arms had locked around it, cuddling him in her sleep. He frowned. _How did I get in this situation?_ He wracked his mind for any sort of clue.

Slowly, the night before came back to him. He'd had a two bottles of Scotch whiskey. He'd been talking about Cybertron...he tensed at that. There was no way to be totally sure what he'd said. He might have given away the wrong information to the wrong people! _No...they were drunk._ He reminded himself. _They probably have a hard time remembering, and think I was just being a drunken idiot._ He looked down at June. _But that still doesn't explain this..._ He tried to remember the rest of that night.

And then it came to him.

" _Get to the point. Why are you doing this?"_

" _Because I don't like leaving things unfinished...And I believe I left something undone last night."_

" _Last night?"_

" _You don't remember? Allow me to remind you."_

Knockout's red eyes widened, and he paled. _I made romantic advances toward her…?!_ The pale was quickly replaced by a blush. _And they_ _ **worked?!**_

He turned slightly, straining to see the lit digital clock of the microwave.

 **5:48**

"Scrap…" He muttered.

Pulling forcefully to free his arm from June Darby's grasp, Knockout got up, being careful not to wake her. With any luck, she would remember nothing of the night prior. She was inebriated as well, wasn't she? His red eyes narrowed with concentration. _I have to make it so she remembers nothing. It wouldn't do for her to assume I have feelings for her due to my over-energized actions. But how to ensure that…?_ He crossed his arms, thinking, before coming up with a plan. Taking a deep breath, he bent down and picked the woman up, giving a grunt as he held her bridal-style in his arms. "You're heavier than you look…" He mumbled, before walking over to June's room. He kicked the door opened, and promptly uttered a string of multilingual curses at the pain of stubbing his toe.

Thankfully, June was a heavy sleeper.

Knockout regained his composure and walked in. Carefully, so as not to wake the human female, he set her in her bed, covering her with the blanket. He got up to leave, but hesitated.

What had it been like to kiss her?

He couldn't really remember, and found himself longing to find out while not under the influence. But he shook his head. _No. It doesn't matter._ He mentally chided. _She's a human, and an annoying one at that. It's bad enough that I kissed her last night. No need to compound the problem._ He turned toward the door, leaving the woman behind him. _Curiosity deactivated the turbofox. And I am most certainly_ _ **not**_ _a deactivated turbofox._

He closed the door, returning to his room and lying in bed. The sheets felt cool against his bare skin, a relief against the warm Nevada climate of May. He did his best to return to sleep, to return to Moonracer.

After all, June would be getting up in less than ten minutes to wake Jack, and he could not be seen awake. And he needed to feel like a Cybertronian again.

. . .

The alarm had been complete _torture_ when June awoke. Her head was throbbing with pain, and she felt sick, and _God_ that _damned siren!_

The clock was lucky to remain functional after the force she hit it with.

Reluctantly, June forced herself to get out of bed. Jack needed to be woken up for school. And Knockout needed a beating for letting Em come over with those bottles of poison.

Every time. Every time that here was alcohol, that she drank. Every time she thought it was worth the next morning's hangover. And every time, she ended up cursing herself for thinking that in the first place.

Her outlet for her frustration?

Well, it was _obviously_ Knockout's fault.

She took some solace in the knowledge that he had to be in as much pain as she was, and gave a small smile. Karma was on her side.

Or so she thought.

. . .

Knockout, after lying in bed for about half an hour, sighed. _No use...once I'm up, I'm up._ He stretched, getting out of the human berth. Yawning, he walked over to the dresser, and grabbed a fresh set of his outfit of choice. _I think a shower would be nice...then breakfast. I'll cook the waffle this time._

He walked into the hallway, only to come face-to-face with June. His red eyes blinked. "...can I help you?"

"You feeling okay this morning?" June asked, smirking knowingly.

Knockout arched an eyebrow. "...yes. Why?"

"Not sick or anything?"

"No…"

Her smile began to falter. "Headaches?"

"Only the one you're currently giving with this banter." Knockout deadpanned. "Spit it out. Why should I be sick? Did you poison me?" He paused, inspecting her closer. "As a matter of fact, you don't look so well yourself, Mrs. Darby."

June's eyes narrowed. "You're telling me that you don't feel _one bit_ of pain or discomfort right now?"

"No! Tell me what in the name of Primus you're babbling about!" He demanded, resisting the urge to grab her by the shirt.

The dark-haired woman growled in frustration, turning on heel and going to the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower. Do anything, and you're dead." She slammed the door for added effect.

Knockout simply stared after her. "Is she...delusional?"

"No, she's hung over."

The former Autobot turned around. Jack was at the end of the hallway, shoving some papers into his backpack. Knockout frowned. "Hung over?"

"Yeah." Jack zipped up his backpack, putting it on his back. "The morning ache and stuff that comes after drinking a lot. I think she's upset that you're not hung over, too." He started for the door. "Just…do whatever she asks of you. She's _really_ irritable when she's sick."

Knockout swallowed. "Noted…"

. . .

"How has the progress come along?"

"Beautifully, sir."

"Vitals?"

"Energon is being pumped in continuously, and the systems are receiving well."

"How's the damage to the exterior?"

"Merely cosmetic at this point. The optic aside, of course."

"Of course. And the interior?"

"Internal damages have been repaired to operational, no more. The spark chamber has been restored to its original state, though there are some curious markings engraved on the outer casing. Deliberately, and in a foreign language. Possibly the language of origin."

"Interesting...show it to me."

The attendant nodded, leading his superior to the bunker which served as a base of operations. The soles of their boots gave a sharp _clack_ -ing sound as they struck the metal stairs, leading up to their prize.

Spread out and restrained, the corpse of a Cybertronian lay open for all to see, chest casing parted like doors to reveal the hollow spark chamber. True to the attendant's word, there were strange glyphs written on the chamber's outer layer, carved in by what had to be a burning stylus.

"Does it pose any threat to our operations? Anything that might hinder the revival?"

"No, sir."

"Leave it. It may be something akin to a serial number. We don't want to do more than we have to without our 'patient's' permission."

"Yes, sir."

"Are the memory files intact?"

The attendant nodded. "Completely. Both times the Cybertronian was dissected, the head remained undamaged, aside from the optic. It's as if your father was never in control."

 _SMACK!_

The attendant reeled back, eyes wide in shock, bringing a hand to his stinging cheek. "S-Sir?"

His superior growled. "Do _not_ call him that. Leland Bishop was _not_ my father. Merely my predecessor. Is that clear?!"

"Y-Yes, sir." The attendant stood at attention. "My apologies, sir."

"Accepted." Again, the attention was returned to the metal corpse. "If all is ready, start the power."

The attendant nodded, running down the metal stairs to the mechanical crew. "Boss says start up the power!"

The command was called several times among the workers. A large amount of glowing blue energy fluid was rushed into the Cybertronian, and a gigantic switch was pulled. One by one, the corpse's systems reanimated, coming back online. The pump which served as the Cybertronian's heart shuddered, as slowly, it was put back into proper use, pumping more than the menial amount having trickled into the fuel lines to test the operation of machinery.

And then it happened. The vacant spark chamber heated, biolights lining it glowing the same cyan as the energon being fed into the systems. And in the center, suspended in midair, a golden light showed itself; small at first, barely an ember. But it grew. So fast, in fact, that it nearly blinded the humans watching. By the time it had stabilized, it was almost as large as the chamber that contained it, tendrils of energy interwoven in shades of yellow, gold, and deep amber, an orb of purest energy. The chamber snapped closed, the strange glyphs engraved on it glowing from the biolights beneath.

Above, a single optic opened, glowing yellow as it powered on.

The leader of this operation smirked, the perch above having a perfect view of the entire process. Leland Bishop prided himself in understanding the Cybertronian race. How wrong he was, thinking he had even scratched the surface. All he had ever known was how to destroy. This, this was Cyber-mechanics at its finest. The ability to revive a dead Cybertronian. That would provide much, much more about their race than any dissection could amount to.

As soon as he'd regained consciousness, the Cybertronian struggled against his bonds. It was a weak struggle, however, but that was to be expected. He'd been dead for a little over a year, and infected with the parasite that was "Silas". Not to mention the variety of experiments performed on his sparkless husk by his former partner, all of which had to be manually reversed by the crew.

"Turn on the microphone." The attendant was instructed. "I want to hear him speak, and I doubt his vocal systems are up to the task of speaking very loudly at the moment."

"Yes, sir!" The attendant went to the large monitor immediately, flicking on a switch.

His superior called out to the Cybertronian currently restrained. "Stop struggling. I'm not here to hurt you, despite what you may think."

The titan robot's optic narrowed. His voice rasped through the speakers, hoarse from disuse. "A...Airachnid…"

"Pardon?"

"Where is Airachnid…?" He growled. "I was fightin' her, and suddenly I'm here…"

"Your memory files are simply picking up where they left off." The commander replied. "We just re-ignited your spark. If your last memory was fighting someone, I'd say that you lost the fight, and were deactivated."

The Cybertronian's optic widened, "My spark…?" He looked around, as if just now realizing where he was, and his engine rumbled. "You…" He glared. "You're that bunch of humans that tore me apart…!" He began to struggle anew. "Lemme go, and maybe I _won't_ pound ya to bits…!"

His voice was threatening, but the vital signs displayed on the monitor indicated panic.

Understandable.

"Calm down." The leader's voice was strong and clear, yet held no malice. "I already said we would not damage you in any way."

"Then what's with the restraints, fleshie…?!" He rasped.

"Merely a precaution. I didn't know how you'd react to being revived." There was a pause. "Breakdown is your designation, correct?"

He hesitated, then nodded.

"Well then, Breakdown, what are your damage levels?"

He scoffed. "Like I'd tell a human."

"Fine then. Bring his vitals on screen."

"Yes, sir!" The attendant chirped, bringing up the info on Breakdown's vitals on the large screen, in plain view of Breakdown himself.

The commander inspected them. "Hmm...84% damaged...Seems we've restored your systems, but they need time to be fully operational." Focus was returned to the mangled-looking Cybertronian. "That can't feel nice."

"Doesn't…" Breakdown muttered. "I feel like scrap…"

"I can restore you to full working order. All your systems will be fully repaired...well, minus your optic, I'd have to reverse-engineer it for that to be possible, and I doubt you'd risk yoru sight on a chance of two optics...you'll have a steady supply of energon, and I can erase all presence of Leland Bishop- you know him as Silas." The commander clasped gloved hands together, letting them rest on the platform's guard rail. "And, so long as you remain a- how should I put it? Robot in disguise- then you may have free reign to come and go as you please."

The ex-'Con eyed the black-garbed figure warily. "What do you want in return…?"

"Merely to know what makes you tick. Physically and mentally. I ask questions, you answer them. Nothing sensitive, like military plans, though as the Decepticons are no more, that shouldn't matter." A smile graced the human's lips, looking genuine. "I seek knowledge of your culture, your society, your anatomy...I'm merely curious."

"I doubt Silas'd let you go through with that…" Breakdown said, frowning.

Good. No outright defiance. This was one they could reason with.

"Leland Bishop is no more." Came the clear voice. "He was destroyed by the very same which deactivated you. I am now in charge of this operation. That said, do we have a deal, Breakdown?"

He hesitated. The Decepticons were no more? Hardly a surprise, but it was sudden nonetheless...if this human was telling the truth, he had no one to turn to, nowhere to go, and could do nothing until he was properly fueled and repaired. Normally the repairs would have been done by a less-than-pleased Knockout. Breakdown sighed quietly. Knockout, along with all the other Decepticons, was probably on trial or already executed. First his Conjunx Endura and two unborn, then his only Amica Endura...he really was alone...He looked at the human again. "...deal."

"Well then…" A smirk lit itself on the commander's features. Those gloved fingers snapped, and the restraints holding Breakdown were released, allowing him free movement. "Welcome to M.E.C.H., soldier."


End file.
